Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Hopeless War
by Last Warrior 7
Summary: The war against the Shadow Pokemon rages on endlessly, destruction reins supreme. One small Eevee is rescued from the ashes of her home by a Flareon with a shadowy past. In this dark world, can love still flourish, and what was the price of her survival
1. Chapter 1

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

Prologue

The liquid dew on the faded green grass reflected the brilliance of the rising sun like small diamonds, glistening so blissfully unaware of the carnage that had taken place just beyond them. With a soundless signal, charging feet and paws trampled the grass with a battle cry that split the eerie silence, descending upon the smoldering remains of what was once a peaceful village. A group of black mutated monsters that were once Pokemon looked up from the remains of the village with equal amounts of hatred and bloodlust. Roaring in return to the battle cry they abandoned the desecrated bodies on which they had been feasting on and attacked, hurling themselves against their attackers with wild fury.

A muscular red fox with a fluffy yellow tail ran at the forefront of the charge, plowing through the ash ridden ground with long powerful strides. A huge bird of prey with wings as black as night shot from the wreckage ahead, its wickedly curved talons poised to tear into the flesh of its enemies. Without breaking stride the red fox opened its fanged mouth and shot a torrent of intense fire at the speeding Swellow, turning the bird into a flaming comet of fire and ash before the fox tore apart the burning feathers. A Sandslash emerged from under the earth behind the Flareon, claws already sweeping in their deadly arc before a bulky Machoke, a comrade of the Flareon grappled with his own foe.

Undeterred, the Flareon charged forward fearlessly, barking orders to his strike force as the two parties met with a chorus of deadly sounds. Amongst the chaos, a human like wolf with jet black fur stuck at the Flareon, knocking the fox off balance with a spiked fist. Rolling to its feet expertly, the fire fox dodged a sphere of cracking black lightning and retaliated with another blast of intense fire. The Lucario's dodge put it too close to the Flareon and the fox made its long fluffy tail suddenly become as strong as steel and smashed the Shadow Lucario away with a powerful spinning strike. The Shadow had no time to recover before the fox's clawed paws pinned its foe forcefully to the ground. The Shadow struggled but the fox was too strong. Without giving the monster a chance to mock him with his last words, the Flareon opened its maw to shoot incinerating flames as it roared,

"Burn in hell demon!"

As quickly as it started the battle was over, the corpses of the unnatural Pokemon already beginning to crumple into ash. The few who had attempted to flee were cut down from above by aerial forces. For once, the advantage had been with the pure Pokemon, a victory that had arrived too late. The uproar of battle faded, leaving only that deathly silence that inevitably follows any battle. The small village, which only yesterday had been a peaceful place, was now nothing but smoldering ruins. Half eaten corpses lined the Village, and the strong Flareon averted his eyes from the gruesome scene. He had been too late, the demons had reached the village first. They had relied on him to save them and he had failed. A Raichu walked up to him and sat on his haunches beside his friend, not caring about the ash that was getting on his short orange fur.

"I've told everyone to look for survivors, you should get some rest." Said the Raichu.

"I'm fine." He argued, getting up to join in the search. Despite the fact that he had traveled through most of the night in an attempt to save the small community of Pokemon, he had been too late in coordinating the large force he had brought with him. He saw the burning smoke and the desecrated bodies as his fault, another failure among many.

The majority of the shelters were gone, either demolished or burned to the ground, sometimes with its inhabitants still trapped inside. Even the homes made underground were not spared from the destruction, it was a horrible sight. The brutality the Shadows employed was appalling, they had attacked everyone without mercy, even the children and kits.

_"At least they all were not turned into shadows." _ Sadly thought the red fox. The Flareon and the Raichu came across a small den burrowed into a small mound. He was too small to enter the burrow himself, but the stench of death dispelled any hope of a survivor. Suddenly a Shadow Ekans shot from the hole, fangs bared to deliver its lethal poison. In a flash the Flareon's paws caught the black scaly head and slammed it into the earth with a sharp twist and a sickening crack. The black snake went limp, and started dissolving into ash..

Turning away, he nearly tripped on the dead body of an eevee kit that had been pulled out of its burrow before being killed. The Flareon bowed his head reverently at the sight of the barren lump of fur, whispering a quick prayer to the dead kit. No sooner had he finished uttering the last words when a massive Flygon suddenly dive bombed out of the sky and landed with a thud that made the earth shake in front of the pair.

The Flareon and the Raichu did not even flinch as the green dragon landed in front of them. The Flareon sat on his haunches, awaiting his comrade's report.

"Base camp was attacked an hour before dawn. We were able to fend them off with few casualties, but a lot of out supplies and tents were destroyed." The dragon reported. The Flareon flicked his large tail as if asking him to continue, showing no emotion.

"I'm sorry sir, there were no survivors." The dragon said with a military tone that did little to mask the emotion in the desert guardians voice.

"Tell everyone to move the camp a mile south. The soldiers will have to sleep outside until we can find another human ruin. Later we will have to relocate again." The fire type ordered, knowing that even though it was a hassle moving the huge base camp, the small change in location would provide a measure of cover until they could relocate again. He had wanted to stay longer in this part, but he knew that they must move on. With a flick of his large fluffy tail, the Flygon took a dramatic take off, ruffling the Flareon's flame colored fur with the wind. He sat where he was a moment longer before swiftly turning around, hiding his emotions to everyone but himself..

_"We can't go on like this. Everyday they get stronger and we get weaker, small victories like this mean nothing."_

Even though it was nearly noon by this time, he couldn't feel the suns rays. As the Dark Matter in the air had increased over the years, the sky was seldom uncovered from the thin layer of clouds, and the giant clouds of smoke formed an impenetrable shield against the light. In some areas where there were thousands of Shadows, the Dark Matter in the air was so thick that the day was almost indistinguishable from night, or so the storytellers had exaggerated, but the fact remained that things were getting worse.

With his Raichu friend still in tow, he searched around the devastated area until he came to what appeared to be a larger burrow, one that belonged to an Eevee family by the smell. The entrance looked as if it had been smaller before something destroyed it and opened the families home up to the invader. Walking inside, the smell of blood hit his nose like a wall. It was everywhere, the horrible smell of death so dense it was sickening. Two of the lumps in the room were so desecrated even their own species was indistinguishable, being simply a small one and a large on. Following a trail of blood, it lead him back outside and beyond. The Flareon quickened his pace, maybe someone had survived after all. He followed the trail until it lead to the body of a male Espeon, more than likely the father of the murdered family. Murmuring the quick prayer he had known since his days as a kit, he smelled the air once more, trying desperately to see if someone was still there, but the smell of blood only met his nose.

Determined, he still pressed on, now tracking the hurried paw prints left in the soft ground. Yet his search was fruitless, and the red fox finally turned around as if to give up and return home when his large red ear twitched from a sound.

"Do you hear that?" he asked his Raichu partner who shook his head. The Flareon stopped what he was doing and concentrated, swiveling his large ears to pinpoint the sound he had heard. For a few minutes nothing happened before the Flareon rapidly spun around and strode towards the forest. As the Flareon tracked the sound and got closer, the Raichu heard it too. It was a soft, whimpering sound as if in pain. The sound lead to a large rock next to a tree. A furry brown leg was sticking out from under the stone. The Flareon sniffed it, smelling the life still remaining and hearing the whimpering from under the rock. Muscles bulging, the Flareon grabbed the rock and flipped it over to reveal the contents underneath.

A small eevee was lying on the ground unconscious but whimpering, tearstains under its closed eyes. One of the brown fox's front legs was badly broken at the joint, bearing gashes as if from teeth. A savage bite mark was on its neck above the mane of cream colored fur, still bleeding weakly. Someone had dug a small depression in the ground and trapped the eevee there, probably a Shadow who was intending to come back after we moved on. There were a number of minor injuries all over the brown fur of the eevee, a few baring blood and a large bruise forming behind its ears from some attack that had knocked it into unconsciousness. Even worse, among the blood and grime on its coat, there was another disgusting fluid on the eevee's haunches and hind legs.

Absolutely disgusted The Raichu turned away while the Flareon reached down and grasped the unconscious form by the loose folds of skin around its scruff. He shook the eevee from side to side, trying to clean its fur from the grime and trying to wake the unconscious bundle of fur up, but only the former worked. Through his large ears he could hear the eevee's heartbeat; she was alive, at least for the moment until she bled out too much. It was doubtful she would survive much longer in her condition, even if she got help fast enough.

The Flareon walked back to rejoin with his shocked companions, carrying the only survivor. Somewhere from the shadows, a pair of malevolent glowing red eyes watched this. They glared at the Flareon with hatred for a moment before fading away, a silent vow of vengeance whispered as the black bloodstained claws retreated.


	2. Chapter 2

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

All I could feel was the all encompassing darkness that held me in its soothing shroud, my half conscious mind still struggling to put together the pieces of my fractured consciousness. Several times I thought the light would collect itself and I would wake up, only to fall back into the deep sleep the darkness offered. Someone was trying to get me to eat something, but before I could wake up my mind lost its grip on reality and I drifted off again. Sometimes I felt pain, but it was fleeting and uncertain, as if I didn't have a body anymore. My confused spirit refused to awaken, I dancing lights were playing in front of me only to be taken away and extinguished. Some part of me didn't want to wake up, holding me in the darkness and the security it brought. Somewhere, I saw twisted strands of black lightning dancing with the light. Again that feeling of someone saying something, or me saying something, it was too confusing. My mind was too weak to tell if I was asleep or awake, nothing made sense, I made me want to stay in the darkness. When I stayed in the darkness, I felt nothing, none of the pain that lanced across my fractured mind or the agony that resulted upon seeing the black lightning in my soul. The darkness was fading, I felt alive, warmth replacing the cold.

I subconsciously shifted in my sleep and a brutal shockwave of pain tore through me. I cried out, my neck hurt and I blinked open my eyes to see a great light. It was too fuzzy, nothing made sense. I saw a tan and green shape with four legs in front of me, and felt something wet and rough touch my neck. I whimpered with the pain, each breath becoming harder and harder, like my blood was filled with lead. Paws were grasping at my mouth, trying to open it and get me to eat something. I bit down on something soft that was placed on my tongue, but my weakened mind couldn't decipher the taste or the feel of the object before paws tilted my head upwards and the goo slid down my throat. I felt my stomach clench and expel the substance, my back hunching and a fresh wave of pain made me sway on my feet. Someone was telling me something urgently, but my ears weren't working. I was so dizzy….

Again the darkness claimed me with its sleep, I couldn't find the strength to fight any longer, falling weakly into its sweet sleep. The lights were stronger and they hurt my eyes, the images were clearer, but nothing could be made out. The pain was stronger, yet it was as if it were fading along with the darkness, which offered me sleep. Twice more I felt something, only to lose the feeling as I was too weak to hold on. The black lightning was touching me now, its burning presence filling my damaged mind with the one emotion I could understand now, fear. I was scared, what was happening to me, why couldn't I wake up. My first rational thoughts were fueled by that fear, the pieces slowly fitting together. Something was lost, but I felt, new. The tendrils of black slowly gave up their grip, and the light came together like a thousand shards, the warmth of life once again filling my fur.

It was too much; I blinked and groaned, trying to adjust. The fuzziness remained, details were irrelevant as my senses slowly started working again. My eyes were open, but I couldn't make out anything, starting to feel something soft underneath my stomach. The wave of terrible pain that greeted me was reduced, the stinging pain in my neck now bearable as was the dull throb in my left foreleg. I desperately tried to remember how I got hurt, but nothing came up. Panicking, I tried to recall where I was, but that came up blank too. Utterly terrified I tried to remember anything at all, but it was no use. I couldn't even remember my own name, everything was gone. I looked around hopefully, trying to find some clue that would let me remember. I mind registered the color red and artificial cloth walls. A tent of sorts. I could hear soft noise all around me, but I couldn't pinpoint anything. My eyes settled on a small brass bowl across the room from me, filled to the brim with clear water. My throat suddenly burned, I was thirsty. Gathered strength and tried to rise.

I let out a squeal of pain as my left foreleg nearly bent the wrong way and erupted into pain, the leg giving out and causing me to fall and roll off the cushion and land with a squeak on the cold floor below. I shivered, my fur was only kept warm by the cushion, I couldn't make my own heat for some reason. Putting pressure on my back legs, I pulled with my good front leg and weakly crawled forward. My sore muscles were still weak, and I was too tired to go any further before long. It was getting harder to breath again, and I felt something rub against my fur when I moved. My broken leg was completely enwrapped in a stiff cloth material, and more cloth was on my neck and back. The cast on my leg was what saved it from bending the wrong way and held it in place, but it felt loosed and painful now. Still crawling, I reached to brass bowl and weakly started lapping up the cool liquid.

The water settled in my stomach with discomfort, I almost felt like I was going to lose it but I held the cold liquid in somehow, my body registering that it needed it. I was really cold now, my body heat failing, but I could crawl only a few feet before I was too weak to go on. The grass under my fur not helping to replace any of the lost warmth.

My ears suddenly twitched as I heard a sound I could recognize, heavy paw steps behind me. When they got louder, I freaked out and tired to get to my feet to run but I fell on my injured leg, landing sprawled out on my side with a squeak of pain. Helpless to get up in my condition, I could only tremble in fright as the presence heard my cry of pain and the paw steps got louder. I cringed into a ball, fearing more pain.

Instead, I heard someone sniff me and then I felt pressure on the back of my neck as sharp teeth grasped my scruff and I was lifted off the ground. To exhausted to resist, I let myself dangle limply from the jaws of someone behind me. The ground moved under me and I was carried out of the tent into the blinding glare outside. I shut my eyes against the light, the sunlight seeping into my fur and recovering some lost warmth. Everything was a blur, I was finding it harder and harder to breath as whoever held me quickened his pace to a trot.

Everything was getting dizzy, for a moment the darkness threatened to enfold me again before I was suddenly placed on a towel in a strange smelling place that made my nose wrinkle. I was able to turn my head a bit and see a little of the person who had carried me. I saw a fox like creature in flame colored fur call out a name my rapidly weakening mind did not catch. I knew what species it was, but I couldn't recall its name before a small quadruped creature with tan fur and leaves all over its body. I was vaguely able to recognize it as an aged Leafeon with a little gray around her muzzle. I shivered again, my legs beginning to feel deadened. I felt paws on my back when the Leafeon walked behind me and I started to get scared, whimpering a little.

"Hush, try to stay awake." Said a soothing voice into my ear as the cloth on my neck was unwrapped, bringing spikes of pain. The red fox I recalled to be a Flareon dashed off somewhere before returning with a small wooden bowl of blue paste. Something that was too soft for me to hear was said between them and the bloodied cloth was removed from my neck as something cold and wet was rubbed on the wound. I cringed with the pain and started to feel myself going numb. Before long, the pain had vanished and a fresh white cloth was being wrapped around my neck. The Flareon returned again with a roll of something in his mouth that was handed to the Leafeon. The Flareon touched me with hot paws and rolled me over on my side so that my broken leg was sticking out. I shivered again, not able to get warm with my failing body. Swiftly the Leafeon unwound the cast on my leg and replaced it with a fresh one. I was still getting weaker and colder, and each breath came harder.

I felt warmth behind me and blindly crawled towards it, trying to get warm again as I pressed into warm red fur. Surprised, the Flareon started to get up but the Leafeon said something to him I couldn't catch, something about body temperature dropping. I didn't care, my damaged mind was seeking out warmth because I couldn't make my own, snuggling as much as I could into the long red fur. It was so warm and soft, I gave up the fight to stay awake and passed out, feeling pressure on the back of my neck as I was lifted again before my senses stopped working…

When I woke up again, I was no longer cold, but I was still dizzy and weak. My sense of time was all messed up, I saw darkness from the corners of the tent but I didn't know if it was morning or night. The air smelled different, almost tantalizingly sweet. I sniffed the air again, trying to find the source before I spotted a small wooden bowl with blue paste in the room next too the bowl of water. I tried to move and the mass of warmth and red fur behind me shifted. Getting scared, I tried to run and fell off something onto the ground, landing on my stomach all sprawled out, food in sight. The mass of red fur rose to become a Flareon, looking at me with a curious expression before padding forward and grasping the wooden bowl between his teeth and carrying to closer to me. I wanted to thank him but my words jumbled together in a unintelligible squeak. The smell was giving me strength somehow, and I bent my head and nibbled at the soft paste, not even having to chew to swallow my first bite.

The food settled in my stomach and I hunched my back and tried to hold it in. It felt like ages since something had been in my belly, and it was throwing a fit. I swallowed more of the paste before bile rose in my throat and I puked, right on one of the Flareon's paws.

I flinched as he jumped back, shaking his paw in the air before finding a smaller bowl of water in the room to wash it with, a faint hissing sound heard. I cowered and rolled into a ball, expecting to be beaten for it. I was just scared, and the fact that I had no memory only added to my fear. I waited for a bit but nothing happened, the Flareon simply kept his distance this time while I swallowed more of the paste. For some reason I was actually able to hold it down this time, and I finished the bowl, licking the smooth wooden surface. The Flareon located another bowl, this one made of tin and set it near him before he came closer to me.

"Sowee." I squeaked, my voice raspy and I tried to avoid his eyes. He seemed more concerned that I might throw up again, explaining the tin bowl. He flicked his tail towards the brass bowl, knowing it was hard for me to hear him speak. I shook my head, now shivering from lack of warmth. I still cringed as he walked up to me and grasped my scruff before setting me on a puffy red cushion. He spoke clearly and slowly, trying to get me to understand.

"What is your name?"

I shook my head, I couldn't remember. My head hurt and everything was one big blank, nothing could be found no matter how deep I delved. He seemed confused by my response, staring at me with sharp Onyx eyes. I curled my tail around my side, trying to hold in my heat which was rapidly fading.

"I can't…" I stammered, not able to pronounce the words correctly. Confusion, then puzzlement showed on his sharp Onyx colored eyes before he concealed his expression. I held my head and started panicking again, the knowledge that I had lost everything causing me to hyperventilate. Concerned the Flareon jumped up on the large red cushion. Wanting to feel warm again I burrowed into his fur involuntarily, seeking heat because my body was failing to make it. For a while it seemed like he was going to bat me away or move but he eventually just laid there. A paw touched my forehead and slide down my fur to a spot right behind my ears. I pulled back, it hurt there, my skull feeling bruised behind my ears.

"Crystal." He said and my ears twitched. It felt right, like a puzzle piece fitting into place. I nodded, the new name just feeling right in a strange way. He permitted to let me stay in his fur, and I was too weak to care if it was awkward. I was so cold inside, I needed heat. My fur was warm, but I was still cold, my blood felt like it had stopped running through my body. I was so weak, I just gave up the fight and went totally limp, at the mercy of the Flareon. For some reason, it was easier to breath, as if some weight was gone from my lungs and the heat made me feel alive. For some reason, I detected sadness coming from the Flareon before he closed his brilliant onyx eyes and laid down, his fur still generating wonderful warmth. I passed out, falling into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

_ I sprinted across a starless sky, the crackling black clouds blotting out the feeble starlight. The fires of battle and the flashes of Lightning were the only sources of light, making those without the ability to see in the dark prey for those bearing the glowing blood red eyes of a Shadow Pokemon. The Dark Matter in the air was so thick, those of weaker hearts were instantly killed and turned into the mutated horrors we are cornered by. My claws raked across the caked and barren ground, its life sucked away by the suffocating amount of Dark Matter in the air. The cries of the fallen were echoing through the night, it was a massacre. My flashing onyx colored eyes searched desperately in the darkness for my friend, without him chances are we would both die, like the others._

_I brought out my inner flame and unleashed a column of fire at the bear like Pokemon blocking my way, reducing it to ashes in seconds but costing me oxygen of which I had none to spare. A buzzing Shadow Beedrill dove at me, only to be crushed by my paws as it got too close. Finally I found my Raichu friend fighting valiantly in a group of foes, buying time for the civilians to run. Calling his name, I assaulted the enemies, tearing them to shreds with my long, serrated claws that were my birthright. _

_The Shadow Rattata and Poochyena and their evolved kin outnumbered and surrounded us in devastating odds, still we fought on, buying time for those who were weaker to run for their lives from the tidal wave of Dark Matter that covered the sky. My Raichu friend spring boarded off my back to leap high in the air while I spun around, unleashing all the flame I could muster in a whirlpool of fire as he showered Lightning bolts from above, our deadly Thunderfire combination. When he landed, all the foes adjacent to us in a circle had been annihilated, the others severely wounded. The Dark Matter was getting stronger, it was getting harder and harder to breath as I was now panting on the ground, trying to resist the corrosive energy in the air that threatened to kill me. What was causing this massive amount of Dark Matter in the air; it was more powerful than anything I had even encountered. As its source got near, I was immobilized and could only fight to resist the corruption it threatened to bring._

_ Then I saw Him…_

I woke from the nightmare with a startled jerk, my fur all ruffled up from my sudden awakening. The ugly jagged black scar that ran the length of my left side was burning in pain. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I stretched and flexed the sore muscles in my side and legs. It had been a whole year since that horrible day, the day I escaped certain death by a hairs breath. I would have thought I would stop having nightmares about it by now, but the fear remained in my subconscious, even if I convinced myself than chances of meeting "Him" again were slim to nothing. The burning refused to subside because of its unnatural origin, and I made a mental note to stop by Vicky's and get some Nightshade for my scar, the dream had made the Dark Matter infused in the wound act up again. I started to get up, forgetting for a moment the ball of brown fur in my tail fur.

Crystal the eevee was in a deep sleep again, curled up in the warmth of my tail fur, her sides rising slowly in her regular breathing. Slowly I removed myself from her weak grasp and found a blanket somewhere to keep her warm. It wasn't her fault she couldn't get warm, she had been in a coma for a while, and in order to survive her body put its energy to keeping her vital organs running, so she needed something to stay warm, and somehow that had been me. I can still hear Vicky's laughter when the half conscious eevee burrowed into my fur to get warm, seeking my fire type heat. Still, as awkward as it was, it was necessary. To just pass the responsibility to someone else was not the right thing to do and nothing short of murder. The blanket would allow her to hold in some warmth until I was done for the night. I asked myself how I ended up in this position.

I pushed the tent flaps and entered the fading light of dawn, the noise of camp beginning to rise again. Shadow Pokemon were more active during the night, and over time some of us had become more nocturnal to combat that. Still, it always seemed like there was never anytime to sleep, explaining the exhaustion in my legs as I arched my back and stretched. Being a leader was not as easy as some of the lesser Pokemon imagined, anytime something happened you had to be there, and it got tiring after a while. Taking care to sheath the claws that were my birthright I prodded the sleeping guard that I had sent to guard my tent and continued on to find Vicky, ignoring the "sorry sir" that was repeated a few times. Dolza the Breloom was a good guy, he just tried too hard. My fluffy tail waved behind me as I walked seeing nothing out of the ordinary for once.

My large ears detected my friend before my eyes could, hearing his paw steps on the ground. He always tried to sneak up on me, but it never worked. I stopped and turned my head to greet my best friend, who still had a lot of fur messed up and never took the time to straiten it out. One of his large ears was split into a V shape, his own scar from that horrible day neither of us could forget.

"What's up Blazefire_, _So how is she?" he asked, scratching his head with his lightning bolt shaped tail blade.

"She woke up for a little bit yesterday, her wounds are healing fast." I said to my friend who was now walking with me, conveniently covering my scarred left side to onlookers. He nodded, still looking a bit worried.

"Is she coping well with…you know." He said, not wanting to say what was on his mind out loud because of the various Pokemon who were noticing us. That was another problem about being a leader, you lost the ability to blend into a crowd, even a small one like this. It wasn't that I didn't trust them, but this was secret.

"She lost her memory." I stated bluntly. He had a shocked expression for a few seconds before he concealed it.

"I feel sorry for her. She is going to learn what happened to her eventually, and the truth will hurt. Oh, have you taken her to see Vicky?" She said, changing subjects fast.

"Not yet. Ratchet, don't tell her what happened to her yet, she is still too weak to handle something like that. I can't help her from finding out that her home was destroyed, but only you and I know what else happened to her." I said strongly, telling him I was serious.

"And Vicky." He finished, yet his expression was serious too. Thank god he understood. I was a little annoyed at the old nurse for telling me to take care of her, couldn't she see that I had better things to do, even if the little eevee was pretty. We walked in silence for a bit before Ratchet decided to speak up again.

"Hey, can I go see her?" He suddenly asked.

"Go ahead, but she is still asleep sp don't wake her. Then you need to go on a patrol like the rest of us hard working Pokemon." I joked. Ratchet worked as hard as I did, but we still poked fun of each other every now and then. He said a quick "See ya Blaze" before running off. I stopped to watch him as he left to go visit Crystal. Like me, he had a soft spot for Pokemon injured in the Shadow War. On top of that, Crystal was really cute.

I don't know why I gave her than name, it just seemed to fit. I know it probably wasn't her real name, but chances are she will never remember what it was. Her memory loss was a result of her head injury, or it was her minds attempt to block out the horrible memory of what happened to her. Ratchet was right; I was going to have to tell her what happened to her, but not right now.

In order to get to the infirmary from where I was, I had to pass the scourging post. A series of large wooden posts in an open area with chains attached. This was where those slowly being corrupted with Dark Matter where held to die. Sometimes, lucky ones were able to pull through and make it out of there, but the majority died. Often, scornful Pokemon were seen beating or harassing the corrupted, and it made me sick. They had been injured in the field of battle and were slowly losing their minds due to the Dark Matter, it was not right to treat them this way. Still, this was none of my business, and the scourging posts had a reason so that we wouldn't be attacked in the middle of the night by one of our own. I ignored the hissing and the growling as I passed, along with the weeping ones. I showed them respect, because it was very likely I could end up here one day.

If anyone ever got word out about what I was, chances are I would be chained to the scourging post and beaten to death, or worse, starved. This world did not treat my kind very well, that was why I had to keep my claws sheathed as much as possible. I blamed the tints of red in my eye from my devastating injury earlier in my life, but truth was, I was born with trace amounts of Dark Matter in me. I was slightly stronger than others of my kind, but it came at a terrible cost. All thanks to my bastard of a father.

I finally reached my destination, a large tawny colored tent that held a red cross on the top, the infirmary. Pushing inside, Bruce the Machoke was getting his arm bandaged by Vicky. She was an old Leafeon with a knowledge of medicines and herbs that no one could match. Some of the leaves on her body had faded and were starting to crumple, but she still had plenty of life left in her. Still, she looked exhausted as she finished with the Fighting types torn arm.

"Could I get some Nightshade Vicky?" I asked as she darted off to another patient. She nodded and started messing with a roll of bandages form some other Pokemon. Despite having it in her mouth, she signaled for me to help her out by cutting the strip from the large roll. In one fast motion I unsheathed my serrated and black claws and easily cut the fabric. Nodding in thanks, she darted off again, leaving me where I was for a minute while I sat on my haunches. The scar was still burning. Finally she came back, a purple flower in her mouth which she chewed up and started applying to my scar. It gritted my teeth against the pain, Vicky was skilled at this but it hurt a lot for anyone to touch it.

"How is that one eevee doing, have you been keeping her warm?" She asked in a motherly tone, despite the fact she was not my mother. It was her way of mocking me. Even though I was a strong leader, even I couldn't afford to piss her off as she might "accidentally" give me the wrong medicine and leave me twitching in pain for a day.

"Yes. Her name is Crystal, and she is doing better." I said, winching as she pressed down on a tender spot.

"That's good. How did you find out her name, I thought she lost her memory?" she asked.

"I heard her say it in her sleep once, so I assumed it was her name." I explained. Vicky finally finished with the herd and the burning was already fading, replaced by a slight numbness. Nightshade was a flower that actually helped the body fight Dark Matter by taking away its ability to cause pain. While it was rare in some areas, here it was pretty plentiful. But you couldn't eat the leaves unless you wanted to die, only the purple flower part. Vicky still saved the leaves as a painless way of putting down those who weren't going to make it. I had seen her do it, with a smile on her face to ease suspicion until it is too late. Vicky is not someone you want mad at you.

"I want to see her again when she wakes up." She said absentmindedly as she walked off. I knew Vicky's reason, like Ratchet she didn't want to say it out loud. She wanted to see how Crystal's body is handling…

I didn't want to think about it. It still made me sick, what that Shadow had done to her. I pitied her, because the same thing had happened to my mother. I never knew her, but my adopted family told me everything. That was, until they were killed.

I clenched my claws in anger on the ground, leaving deep gouges in the dirt. Crystal was hurt in more ways than one, and telling her what was going to happen to her was going to be hard. But if I didn't she would find out soon. Trying to distract myself from thoughts of the pretty little eevee and my family I left the tent, seeking some familiar faces to go on patrol with. Particularly Ratchet, having him along always helped, he was my best friend. I really hoped we encountered a small group of Shadows, I really wanted something to vent my anger on, something for my claws to tear other than cloth. My inner flame was getting to be restless, I needed some violence to keep a hold of myself.

It is not easy being a Half Shadow.


	4. Chapter 4

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

Hesitantly I poked my nose out from the tent, smelling the cold mourning air and the sweet smell of berries on the wind. I looked around fearfully, and noticed that I was completely alone. Slowly I emerged from the shelter, limping badly on three legs and holding my broken leg close to my body. It was hard to move, I had to hop forward with my hind legs then with my one good foreleg. My stomach was throwing a painful fit, and the smell of food was driving me forward. The area was grassy with many trees, but beyond that there were huge steel structures rising in the distance like bizarre mountains. The perfect sides of the metal towers stood out from nature, and I found myself staring for a while at their reflective tiles as I followed the alluring sweet smell.

The wind changed direction and the smell was lost, being replaced with the smell of many other Pokemon, and I recognized none of them. Slowly I turned around and tried to come back the way I came, but I only ended up beyond the forest. The ground in front of me was hard and smooth, and many metal things dotted the yellow striped pavement. Now utterly lost in what I realized was the ruins of a human city, I sniffed the air again, trying to find something I recognized. It was no good, I was lost. I huddled down on the cold pavement, I should have stayed where I was in the red tent, now I was lost and cold.

I suddenly heard something behind me and spun around in surprise, falling because of my injured leg in a very awkward position as I saw the Flareon from earlier. Anything I tried to say came out as a nervous "vee" as I rolled off my back and to my paws. Even more to my embarrassment, my stomach growled and my face instantly turned redder than his fur.

"Did you get lost?" He asked with a hint of amusement at my face which I responded with a squeaky "yes." I still tensed up when I felt his teeth on my neck, but didn't struggle as I was lifted off my paws into the air, giving me a chance to rest from limping around. The Flareon navigated the streets of the city with ease, jumping on cars and rooftops to get where he wanted before he arrived at a square building with a hole blown in the top of it. Despite the damage, it seemed to be in good condition, better than some of the other building which were missing entire walls. The sweet smell of berries made my mouth water as he entered and set me down on the cold floor.

"You know I was wondering when you were going to bring a girl here, I was beginning to think you were gay!" Joked a purple monkey with two tails, and each of them had a hand on the end. He growled threateningly at the Ambipom which cringed before several smaller Aipoms joined in on the laughter. All the laughter was silenced when the Flareon snapped his jaws threateningly, showing off his teeth.

"Alright calm down Blazefire." Said an unidentified voice behind me. I turned my head to see a powerful looking Raichu enter the building. The Raichu had a badly torn ear and a grin plastered on his face as he rubbed the Flareon's fur the wrong way on purpose.

"Whatever." Blazefire snarled and suddenly a still flopping Magikarp went sailing through the air and he caught it in his jaws with a crunch. Holding on to his prize, he left the building, tail held high. I stared horrified at the tiny blood trail left by the fish, feeling a bit uneasy in my stomach.

_"Blazefire"_ I repeated in my head. The name was so exotic; it didn't make sense if he had that name all his life. Was it a nickname of sorts, or was that simply what everyone knew him as? An Aipom placed a dish of the blue paste in front of me before rubbing my fur with its extra hand and leaving. I looked warily at the large Raichu that was still standing next to me. With a smile, he suddenly bent down and petted my fur, which felt soothing for some reason.

"Hey Crystal, how are you feeling?" He said, still petting my fur which was almost making me purr. How did he know my name, was he a friend of Blazefire?

"My leg hurts." I admitted, feeling another throb come with fresh pain. The Raichu stopped petting me to receive his own bowl of food like mine. It was a large bowl of gray paste rather than blue like mine, and the smell was foreign to me. I saw several more scars on the Raichu's side and I knew this Pokemon was strong and had been in many battles.

"You could go see Vicky and get some poppy for the pain," He offered while eating from his own bowl. I guessed that Vicky was that old Leafeon I remembered from earlier. Nodding silently, I nibbled at the blue paste, which tasted sweet and gooey. I easily finished a bowl and a second one was placed in front of me before I could even say a word, the Aipom looking at me with pity and saying it looked like I needed it. The action made me uncomfortable, why was everyone being so nice to me?

"Ratchet, get your lazy butt out here!" yelled Blazefire as he suddenly appeared with a silent thump.

"I'm coming dammit, don't get your tail in a knot Blazefire." He answered and laughed a bit at my confused expression.

"It's a long story that involves a human tool, my electricity, and Blazefire's fur. The nickname stuck like glue." He explained while stuffing himself with the remainder of his food. As Blazefire stormed into the building, I saw him lick his chops a bit and he smelled like fish.

"Come on Crystal." He said in a somewhat softer tone than he addressed Ratchet. I pushed myself to my feet and struggled to keep up, as the pair of fighters left the building. Blazefire obviously got annoyed by having to stop and wait for me and reached for my scruff. I cringed, remembering the Magikarp that he had devoured just minutes earlier as his teeth grasped the loose folds of fur on my neck and lifted me in the air. I couldn't tell where we were going because I was still unfamiliar with the area.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. What'd you do, accidentally jump in a patch of briars?" Joked Ratchet as Blazefire stormed along, his fluffy tail whipping from side to side. He didn't respond as he had a mouthful of my fur, but I felt some of the frustration through his grip on me.

Suddenly a wailing cry pierced the silence. I was dropped on the ground as both Blazefire and Ratchet spun around towards the sound. Ratchet immediately took off into a fast sprint that astonished me while Blazefire picked me up again and bounded to the corner of a street and threw me into a wooden crate which I landed with a squeak.

"Stay there and don't make a sound." He ordered just as another cry pierced the air. It was sharp and loud, like the call of a bird of prey as Blazefire halted in his tracts and a black Nidorino came charging out onto the street. There was something about it that inspired fear in me. The faint purple aura that is let off seemed unnatural and evil. I looked up and my gut clenched as I saw several black shapes slicing through the sky above, looking for the right moment to strike. The air seemed to get hotter as Blazefire took a wide stance with his legs, his tail whipping around in anticipation or anger.

He opened his mouth and a stream of fire shot from his maw, so hot I felt the heat even where I was. The bolt of fire was so fast the Nidorino had no chance to dodge and I saw it reduced to a skeleton before being incinerated entirely. A black Raticate lunged at Blazefire and he twisted around and sliced open the giant rat with his serrated claws. Black gore went flying before all of the monsters remains were reduced to ash. One of the Spearow from above dove at him with such speed it seemed to leave an after trail. Instead of attacking it, he side stepped and the bird smashed into the ground. He pounced on the stunned bird and tore it into several pieces with a flurry of fangs and claws.

As if seeing a distraction, more of the small birds dove at him. A faint red glow covered Blazefire before he spun around and a whirlpool of intense fire engulfed the street. It was too late for the black birds to stop, and they were incinerated in the whirlpool. The fire only lasted a second, but it was so hot I was sweating and the air hissed. As the flame cleared the charred remains of the birds were already crumbling into unnatural ash. The pavement of the street was sizzling with the terrible heat. What scared me was the look of bloodlust in Blazefire's eyes. He was breathing heavily as that last attack had taken a toll. In the distance, I kept hearing the sounds of battle and people screaming. I was too scared to move from the hiding place he had left me.

"Blazefire we need you over here, the Shadows-" came a yell that was cut off by ferocious snarling. That seemed to snap Blazefire out of his state of bloodlust and he went sprinting off to assist whoever had yelled.

"Shadow Pokemon attacking in daylight, why wasn't there a warning?" he muttered as he ran off, leaving me alone and terrified. I was shaking for some unexplainable reason at he sight of the Shadow Pokemon. For a second, images of burning homes and marauding beasts cloaked in a black aura with glowing red eyes shot through my mind. What were these things? I clutched my head with my paws until the pain and the bloody images went away, leaving me with almost no recollection of them.

Suddenly the crate I was in was shoved over and I went tumbling out onto the street. I glanced behind me to see a large quadruped black shape with spiky fur advancing on me. The red glowing eyes it bared awaked some hidden sense of fear as I scrambled onto my three good legs and tried to run. A headache suddenly shot through my skull and imoblizied me with its sheer pain. Like daggers in my head, it felt like something trying to break out and I balled up in pain. It felt like my head would explode and any sounds of reality were silenced as I heard an unintelligible whisper deep inside of my mind.

I screamed as loud as I could against the invasive presence suddenly trying to push itself to the surface in my mind as I felt the monster behind me grab me roughly in its jaws, teeth gouging into my sides before I passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

The nearby buildings and grass were on fire, the human made transports were utterly crushed and the smell of smoke polluted the air, yet I felt or saw none of it. My blood was pounding in my ears as my clawed paws scrabbled for a hold on the charred pavement as my back legs unleashed their power, propelling me into my enemy and fastening my teeth into the throat of the electric dog. I tasted its sweet metallic blood as my sharp fangs pierced its throat. Arching my back and lifting my head, I tossed the canine from side to side, tearing out its throat before it crumbled into ash. In this battle frenzy, species did not matter; there was only friends and foes, nothing else to dull the thrill of battle that was pounding in my ears.

My inner flame surged as I called upon its power and unleashed a blast of fire from my mouth, frying anything in its path of destruction. My fire missed its mark, hitting a building and shattering the dainty glass windows before melting the shards with its terrible heat. I didn't care; I stood alone on the battlefield, cloaked in smoke and incinerating fire. Roaring my fury to all my enemies, I let my inner flame soar and burned away everything in my sights. Still the speedy black assassin evaded my fire, the annoying Scyther zooming in on me at high speeds I couldn't hope to match. Planting my feet into the rough pavement, I took its assault head on, ducking under the blade of its arms and ramming into it headfirst, tackling to the ground where I could shred its hide with my long serrated claws that were my birthright. The insect fought on, not realizing it had lost the fight until I tore its chest cavity open, reducing the demon to ash in an instant. Opening my mouth once more, I roared with a stream of flame I was unable to control, daring the others to challenge me.

Like the petty demon they were, they ran from the fight, seeing how they were hopelessly outmatched by my strength. My lust for battle not yet fulfilled, I ran in pursuit of one of the black birds called Murkow, leaping over the body of another Pokemon I did not recognize. Opening my mouth I sent a column of intense fire at the retreating demon bird, burning it alive. The ash laden feathers floated down all around me coating me in a sense of demonic rampage, and my feral eyes searched for the next foe to face in battle. I wanted to kill, slice open and maul anything that stood in my way. My dark blood as a half shadow manifested itself in combat, letting me fight with no bounds. With no one left to fight, I stormed away from the burning battleground, seeking my other companions. Unable to control the razing bonfire of my inner flame, the grass itself burned where I walked. The innate desire to burn and destroy was in my blood, but I resisted it as much as I could.

My thoughts crossed to the young eevee I had rescued and was supposed to be taking care of, but I pushed them away instantly. So long as she stayed quiet she would be fine, I would get her later if she couldn't make it out of the box with her broken leg. I shouldn't care about her, I had only known the pretty young eevee for a few days, yet I felt inclined to make sure she was all right. Frustrated at myself for being so stupid, I turned around again to find her. I would grab her and pass her off to Drake or Ratchet as soon as I got the chance, it was getting to be really annoying having to do everything for her. Yet that anger was countered by pity at her inevitable fate because of what had happened to her. She was in the same situation my mother was once in…not that I ever knew my real mother.

My battle trained eyes instantly spotted the overturned crate and the fear scent left over in the air. Now furious that someone had beaten me to her, I stormed in closer and smelled the air for signs of blood, but there was none. A huge wolf-like Shadow Pokemon with jet black spiky fur was holding the limp body of an eevee in his jaws. I snarled, peeling my lips back to show my teeth and took an aggressive stance that a powerful predator would use to claim another's prey for itself in the wild. The Shadow dropped the body but placed one clawed foot on the body and growled, unwilling to give up its prey. Through my tainted blood I could feel the strength of the Dark Matter in the air better than most, and this demon was far stronger than the others.

I suddenly realized this was the smell that was on Crystal when I found her under the rock, all broken and bloody, and instinctive rage made my inner fire swell up out of control and waves of heat were resonating in the air. Now it made sense why it would be trying to take her alive rather than just kill her on the spot. Some preferred to play with their prey, so to speak. Flames rose out of my fur without my control and I simply allowed power to push its way to the surface and I roared shooting a column of incinerating fire at the Shadow.

The Shadow Mightyena opened its mouth and a strange beam with many overlapping circles burst from its fanged maw, a Dark Pulse attack. The two attacks hit each other head on and exploded, scattering bits of flame and black energy everywhere. The stone alley was more durable to flame than the buildings, but the scattered bits of power from the beam left chips in the stone. This Shadow was powerful, but the thought did not fill me with dread or fear, but excitement.

I filled the alley with fire again, singing the stone and air to create an annoying hissing noise as the superheated air rose up out of the alley. The wolf had jumped over the fire with the help of the air currents and shot his own beam attack at me. It was much more concentrated than my own attack, but its power was undeniable. Darting to one side as a section of asphalt broke open, I retaliated by growling and charging at the wolf with my claws and fangs bared.

We collided and knocked each other back a few feet before I lunged, swiping with my claws to rend open its back. It dodged to the side and I snapped with my fangs, missing its black fur by inches. Its own serrated claws sliced open a wound on my shoulder, but in the thrill of battle I did not feel the pain and got the Mightyena across the face with my paw, hitting it with a powerful blow before attempting to follow up with a crushing bite to the throat or vital organs. The battle paused again as we stood facing each other, deep growls sounding ominously.

"You fight like one of us." The wolf responded. I hissed, flattening my ears in an intimidating display. Rising above the mindless majority of Shadow Pokemon, intelligent Shadows where stronger than their kin, sometimes possessing unnatural feats of strength or unusual powers. Freakishly powerful aberrations that deserved to be destroyed, as they were capable of worse things than simple murder, and weaker shadows flock to them, sometimes serving powerful Shadows. Only Legendary Shadows, or the fallen versions of the god like beings that once watched over the world, were more feared than intelligent Shadows. My claws were involuntarily flexing into the heated stone beneath me in anticipation, this would be fun!

"DIE!" I roared and lunged, attempting to pounce on the Shadow and rip it to miniscule shreds that would soon be burned to ashes. My attack was dodged and it rammed its forehead into my side, knocking me down. I unleashed flame from my fur, filling the area around me with fire as my Overheat attack shot out in all directions. Somehow, it missed as the pleasant smell of burned flesh was not in the air. I was alarmed when I suddenly remembered that the young eevee named Crystal was here, I shouldn't burn her. I snarled with frustration, once again glaring at my opponent in a stand off.

Without warning Ratchet suddenly appeared in the other end of the alley, electricity coursing though his orange fur as he took the situation to his head. I took advantage of the distraction to turn my large fluffy tail into tempered steel and charged forward, spinning at the last second.

There was an earsplitting clang as the Mightyena met my attack with his own Iron Tail, the two attacks canceling each other out and creating sparks. My larger size allowed me to force its tail back, but it deflected my swing and claws raked across my back, but my thick fur cushioned the blow. Ratchet shot a lightning bolt at the speedy black shape, but the wolf dodged it with ease and attacked Ratchet. The Raichu had been fighting battles as long as I had, and he was easily able to hold his own though kicks, bursts or electricity, and by turning his tail blade into a sword and slicing at the Mightyena, catching it by surprise the first time and opening a gash on its foreleg. Shadows do not bleed, and it often takes a fatal blow to kill them or a multitude of small wounds. Intelligent Shadows would not even suffer from a minor wound like that, but despite its greater strength, it was unable to get the oversized electric mouse in its fanged jaws.

I hurled myself into the fray and years of experience fighting alongside each other allowed us both to just know what to do. Jumping back from a clawed swipe from the Shadow Mightyena, Ratchet spring boarded off my back into the air as I fueled my inner flame up to its highest limits and caused flame to explode out of my fur as I spun around, creating a whirlpool of fire as Ratchet rained down lighting from above, devastating the small area completely.

"THUNDERFIRE!" We both yelled with our signature combination attack that devastated the area with electricity and flame. The sudden burst of flames I had been able to do died down soon as Ratchet landed on his feet. The stonework was ruined, and the bare earth underneath was scorched. Surprisingly there was no sign of the Shadow Mightyena, or even the telltale smell of scorched flesh. I was about to boast that we destroyed him completely until I saw the small hole in the ground…

There was no time to call out a warning when the wolf exploded from the bare earthen ground underneath Ratchet, and blood sprayed as he caught him in the side with outstretched claws. I tackled the wolf to the wall behind it with crushing force before it would deal the deathblow while Ratchet was hurt from the attack. I slashed with my claws at its face, and sharp pain lanced through my arm as several of my long hooked claws were torn out as they scraped across the brick wall. Somehow the wolf had already escaped my grip. I spun around with an Iron Tail in case it was behind me, but my attack hit only empty air, but the momentum behind the attack was enough to throw me off balance for a split second, and I was knocked to the ground. The Shadow attempted to pin me down, but I kicked out with my hind legs and the wolf was thrown off of me. It stood facing me for a few minutes until it suddenly chucked.

"I'll taste your blood another time, farewell."

I lunged to try and prevent it from escaping but it disappeared with a faint attack. Some instinct realized what he would try to do and I tackled the invisible body as he attempted to collect his prey before leaving. There was a grunt and a growl as he became visible again and then suddenly he howled, and I couldn't see anything.

I yelled and lashed out blinding with my claws in the sudden darkness. My hind paw stepped on Crystals side, and I kept it there to figure out where I was. What form of trickery was this? I couldn't see anything. Raising my flattened ears, I listened to the heavy footsteps all around me and realized he was retreating rather than attacking. The darkness soon faded, and he was no where in sight. I spat a glob of flame on the ground in frustration and went to take a look at Ratchet. He was awake and clutching one arm which was dripping blood, but otherwise appeared to be fine.

"Well that didn't go as planned." He remarked, winching a bit as he put pressure on the wound.

"Get over it you pansy, you'll be fine." I joked back harshly at his expression of pain, allowing him to grab a handful of my fur to hoist himself up. It was true, the Raichu had been dealt far worse wounds from other enemies, but it was probably the amount of Dark Matter in the wound that was making it so painful. Now back on his feet, I started to leave when he patted my fur to remind me about Crystal. Grunting, I walked back over to the limp brown furred body and nudged it with one paw, keeping my claws sheathed. She didn't stir, so I bit at the loose folds of fur around her neck to carry her. It was while I was carrying the limp bundle of fur that I realized there was no wound anywhere on her.

She probably passed out from Dark Matter exposure, but something made me wonder if the Dark Matter that was already in her from her last experience with the demon was resonating with the Shadow Mightyena. If so, that meant she would get very weak when he was around, and if he found her she wouldn't be able to resist him on anything. Furthermore, she could easily morph into a Shadow if the Dark Matter ever took full control, so she had to stay away from him at all costs. Then again, she would be seeing part of him is several weeks, if Vicky was correct, which she usually is.

"I'm heading over to Vicky to get patched up, can you take care of her for the rest of the day, she will be weak because of the Dark Matter exposure." Ratchet said and left before I could complain. Great, just freakin great. Did Ratchet think I had nothing better to do than look after her all day, what was his problem? I considered passing her off to Drake, my Flygon friend, but he was so huge she could easily get crushed, even if he was nice to others. I considered Ratchet, but after a battle like this he would get bandaged up and find a patch of sunlight where no one would be able to find him…typical lazy ass Raichu. Vicky, the Leafeon nurse was kind to younger Pokemon but she would be too busy with not only her everyday duties but now having to attend to several wounds, she would have no time to baby-sit Crystal. That left me with the pretty young eevee, simply because I didn't trust anyone else that much.

I sighed through the mouthful of soft fur in my mouth and jumped up on a parked car and then onto a low roof. I prowled around for a while, jumping to higher roofs of the abandoned human city, looking for a nice place to lie down and sleep in the sunlight. My dark blood detested sunlight because of its origins, but I didn't care, part of me loved feeling the warmth of the sun on my fur. I finally found a somewhat large rooftop that suited me and deposited the bundle of fur onto a corner and slumped down in the middle of the place. My mind wasn't going to let me sleep like usual, but I just rested on the flat stone roof, my thick fur making a nice cushion. Beast and some of the others taunted me for my fluffy tail sometimes, leading to my hated nickname of "fluffy" among those who hated me.

They made fun of my tail that is, until I beat them with it. After I beat the living shit out of them with my fluffy tail, they never made fun of it again, except for one. Beast, a Swampert, was always trying to get under my skin. By now I would have no regret killing him, but we were here to fight Shadows, not each other. One of these days though I was going to skin his blue hide. Even his double type advantage meant nothing if I got to maul him to death. I grinned a bit at the thought of tearing him into little pieces in the middle of the night.

I heard movement behind me and I saw Crystal stir and wake up, blinking confusingly a bit before bolting upright in terror and then falling on her broken leg comically. She then realized where she was and cast a few glances my way before limping around the rooftop a bit, looking at the view down below.

"If you're tired you can sleep, the sunlight will help with the pain." I said, easily able to tell that Dark Matter was making all her wounds pain her again. She looked out at the view for a bit more before curling up in a ray of sunlight. She was pretty, her fur was a rich brown color and her body shape was perfect, but best of all were her eyes, which were a watered down blue color, like her namesake. The thing I liked about them though is unlike many others I helped or saved, she didn't look terrified at me, just normally scared because she practically helpless with her broken leg.

"T-thank you." She said, a bit nervously. I stopped watching her before it got weird and tried to get to sleep, but then I heard her squeaky voice again.

"Those black Pokemon, what were they?" She said to my astonishment. I knew she had lost her memory, but this was something everyone knew. She flinched under my gaze and I knew she was embarrassed about her question, her emotions were as easy to read as a book.

"They're called Shadow Pokemon, monsters that are tainted and taken over by a strange force called Dark Matter. That's why you passed out, because your mind had all it could take. Sunlight helps sometimes with the pain it causes, but if it really hurts go to Vicky and get some Nightshade, a herb which helps with Dark Matter."

"Oh…"

"You will be fine, just sleep and rest like you have been and your spirit will repair itself, just like how the body does. Think about it like Dark Matter is wounds in your spirit, and if your spirit dies the Dark Matter destroys the remains and takes over the body. That's a really simplified version though." I continued, probably just talking to show off and be an ass. Most of the time, the scars left behind in your mind when you have a near death experience by Dark Matter are so intense, they never go away. I remember Drake being reduced to a jabbering idiot when he nearly succumbed once. Dark Matter does exactly what hurts you the most, bending reality and warping your thoughts in some cases. When I got really bad, sometimes memories of my adopted family came back…

She nodded nervously, and lowered her head to try to sleep, but I could tell from the tension in her back that her leg was bothering her too much to let her get to sleep. I was too lazy at the moment to get some Nightshade for her, but I made a mental note to get some on my way back home. Then I scowled at myself for being so unusually nice, what he hell was with me? There was silence for a long time before I just felt like speaking again.

"That's what everyone is fighting here, we are a group that fights Shadow Pokemon. We travel all over the place, but right now we like it here so we stay here a while. In fact, we are the reason a large community of normal Pokemon are able to live in this city, because we are here to fight for them." I explained, not caring if she was listening.

"But…what can I do?" She said nervously, wondering if she was about to be sent away or forced into some form of repayment. I didn't answer, letting her realize that I was taking care of her for right now again. The question did bring a good point though. I didn't mind having her pretty little butt sleep in my tent, but Beast and maybe some of the others might try to drive her out if she couldn't do anything. For all there talk about heroes and fighting shadows and whatever, Beast and his friends could go kill themselves for all I care. If she wanted to leave I wouldn't stop her, but sleeping with a soft breathing ball of fur is not unpleasant, even if I do have to keep my temperature down to not burn her.

I mentally bit myself, wondering why I was being so perverted all of a sudden. Keeping her around with me was going to end up being much more of a hassle than anything, especially in the next couple of weeks. I truly felt sorry for her for what the others might do to her then, even if it wasn't her fault. The thought that I could lie to protect her crossed my mind, but I ignored it. She wasn't my mate, I wasn't going to go through all that effort to keep her alive. But then again, would not doing so be nothing short of murder. I had no problems with killing someone in combat, but innocent young Pokemon were another story. I wasn't a murderer like my corrupted kin.

"The sunsets really pretty." She awkwardly said all of a sudden and I realized for the first time that it was almost night. I never paid much attention to the sunset, but for some reason I felt compelled to look at it anyway. The brilliant orange rays were casting shadows on the thousands of metallic and stone structures in the city, a breathtaking sight. It was beautiful, in a way I never did see before, and I wondered if she had anything to do with it. I nodded and got up and walked over to her, my big size making her seem small. She did cringe at first when I got close, making me frustrated, but she didn't try to run away when I grabbed her in my mouth and began the short journey back to my tent.

For the first time in a long time, I felt alive.

* * *

><p>Review! I love to hear my readers opinion, even the negative, it only serves to make me a better writer.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

"Watch it, coming through!" Yelled an unfamiliar voice as I scrambled as quick as I could to avoid getting crushed as a large and intimidating Swampert stomped past me, shooting a glare my way before leaving. I was already tired from limping all the way here and stiff from sleeping in a corner, but I picked myself up again trying not to be a burden. I didn't sleep with Blazefire, I was just too uncertain of what to do, so I simply left him be. The night was miserable and cold and Blazefire was gone when I woke up, making the day so much worse. My broken front leg was still stinging with pain, and my awkward limping only made it hurt worse. Yet, the only thing I was focusing on was the panic that I was utterly lost.

All the noise and commotion of the small town was making me skittish, and every few steps I would glance over my shoulder as if someone was following me. Out of all the faces in the crowd, I didn't recognize a single one, not even the Aipom that had given me food the day before. Confused and exhausted I huddled down in the middle of the road, only to be shooed to the side by a large and angry Rhydon. In this bizarre maze of steel and stone, the Pokemon lived in the structures that were left over from the humans. An entire community was now living in the box like structures and steel machines, it was all so weird and foreign to me, even though I had no memory. I sighed and sat down for a moment, feeling useless.

"Looking for something fox?"

I jumped with fright and spun around, my fur standing on end with fear as I saw a large, quadrupled hound with black fur and horns on its head. Startled, I took a few steps back and bumped into a wall while the Houndoom simply stared at me with a glint of amusement in his eyes. His intimidating figure was matched by the numerous scars that crisscrossed his muscled body, easily identifying him as a warrior.

"I-uh...uh." I stammered awkwardly as I tried to make myself small against the wall. The hound grinned, exposing all of his wicked teeth and making me scared. He eyed my injuries with pity and sat down on his haunches so he didn't appear so large and fearsome.

"Looking for Vicky?" he guessed with a hint of amusement at my frightened state. I gulped and nodded, still pressed up against the wall with no escape route. My broken leg made me always nervous and scared because I couldn't run away or even defend myself if someone were to attack me. With it, I was practically at the mercy if anyone, and that made me scared at what the Houndoom was thinking.

"You're really close, come on I won't hurt you." He said with a humorous tone, as if it was funny to him how scared I was. His black fur made me think of the Shadow that had tried to kidnap me, and it wasn't a pleasant memory. I followed him hesitantly, knowing he could be leading me into a trap of something. Yet he even stopped and waited for me when I couldn't keep up because of my broken leg. It was only a few minutes before the smell of bitter herbs hit my nose, and I found a large building that I was certain I had seen before.

"Well here you go, just be careful now." He said, starting to leave but stopping and barked at me, making me jump and cower. He laughed one last time at my reaction before leaving, saying.

"The name's Fiend." He said and then the powerful Houndoom was gone. I stared after him for a few minutes, still thinking about him before shaking my head and ruffling my fur. The stone building had a sad and creepy feeling around it, and the stone was such a drained gray color that it made you wonder what had happened to the old windowless structure that made it that way. Fiend had said her name was Vicky, so I walked inside. Despite the strong smell of herbs, there was absolutely no one in sight. I turned around, and was greeted with the site of a scurrying Leafeon before I was bowled over and accidentally tripped her, making us both fall. I yelped and squeaked as my broken leg was caught under me.

"Oh I'm sorry." She said and picked me up to set me on my feet. The packet of leaves she had been carrying was now scattered all over the room.

"Um…Are you Vicky?" I asked, a little embarrassed by her motherly action. She nodded her head quickly while grabbing up the remains of her pile. She flicked her tail as a signal to follow her and dashed off out of the gigantic bare room that made up the entire building. I followed her as fast as I could, but I still got lost while she ran ahead. Moments later she returned and before I could protest she picked me up in her mouth and dashed back out. She moved fast with long strides despite the obvious signs that she was at an old age. The leaves on her ankles and head were beginning to crumple and fade, yet she sprinted effortlessly even with my small weight. She set me down inside of a large tawny colored tent before running off somewhere else.

A little bewildered by the suddenness of what just happened, I did a small circle and curled up on the soft cloth that she had set me down on, covering myself with my tail. The air here smelled cleaner, and the strange feeling from the building was gone. Tucking into the my soft and puffy fur, I dozed off for a while until I heard the sound of heavy footsteps and looked up to see a large green dragon with a red visor around its eyes. For some reason even though the dragon was much bigger than Fiend, he didn't scare me. It took me a while to realize that the dragon had been here before I had, curled up on its own bed. There where a few bandages on one of its skinny arms and a giant patch of cloth on its wings. The Flygon caught my gaze and I looked away quickly, realizing I had been staring.

"So you're the miraculous survivor I have heard so much about." He muttered, now aroused and looking at me. I pulled my tail a little closer to my stomach, feeling a little exposed with the dragon now staring at me.

"Survivor?" I said with large confused eyes. The only thing I could remember clearly was waking up for the first time in Blazefire's tent, nameless and scared. Had he rescued me from somewhere, or had I lived here all my life and just couldn't remember it?

"I see, you lost your memory." He said, somehow knowing what I was thinking by my expression. He wrapped his long scaly tail around his back legs and shifted to get comfortable on his mat.

"I searched the entire area, and not one person had survived the onslaught. Then He appears out of no where, holding the limp bunch of dirty brown fur that no one thought would live another hour, but somehow you did." He said.

"But…What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know the whole story, but apparently the village where you used to live was attacked by a group of Shadow Pokemon. Blazefire and a large group of fighters came as quick as they could, but you were too far away and everything was destroyed by the time they arrived. If it makes you feel better, we annihilated every last Shadow that we could there." He explained before yawning, showing off huge saber like canines in his mouth. There was an awkward silence for a long time before he asked.

"So you really don't remember anything?"

"No. I can't." I said softly.

"You might remember more than you think. I saw that you were afraid of Fiend, even though he never gave you a reason to be. You were suspicion of the storage building that Vicky uses to hold her vast collection of herbs, and you are always putting you tail between you legs rather than around your face or body when you are scared. Those actions can tell you more then you think if you try to interpret them." He explained.

"I don't understand."

"You see, your mind might not have lost everything, and might still subconsciously remember some of the things from before even if it is not in memory form. The way you walk is probably the same as before, as well as your ablility to talk and walk. If you really had everything erased, you wouldn't be able to identify species like you were with me." He said and cleared his throat before continuing.

"But most of all, you would have rational fear. You are scared of something your mind remembers but you don't. You were more scared of Fiend than you were of me, and Blazefire still makes you nervous even though he has not hurt you…yet. I think that there is some memories still buried in your subconscious that you are not even aware of. Tell me Crystal, have you had any strange dreams?"

"No, not really. There was this one time when I was waking up for the first time though. It was like something didn't want me to wake up, and there was pain and I was scared of nothing and all these giant strands of Black Lighting were all over the place." I confessed, wondering why it was so easy to talk to this strange Flygon when I could barely talk to Blazefire.

"This was when you were first waking up?" he suddenly said with alarm.

"Y-yes."

"That Black Lighting was Dark Matter, the very force that creates Shadow Pokemon." he said in a serious tone of voice.

"Am I going to…going to." I said, suddenly scared of the fact that I had Dark Matter inside of me. I was beginning to hyperventilate before I smelled sweet berries on the air and sudden the Leafeon nurse was behind me with a large Sitrus berry that made my mouth water.

"Drake, I hope you're happy now that you scared her again." She said in an accusing voice that brought with it the feeling that she was really mad at him for some other reason. The dragon snorted before lying down, an amused grin on his face before he was instantly asleep. Yet as the nurse turned around, she had a mischievous grin and she winked at me before turning away from the Flygon, who was beginning to twitch in his sleep.

"Alright, lets take a look at your leg." She said softly, as if trying not to spook me. She took my injured leg and carefully unwrapped the stiff bandage. Underneath, my fur was a mess and there were many wounds that looked like teeth marks. Still holding onto my leg so I wouldn't shy away, she reached around and mashed up a random plant from her ever present packet of leaves she carried around. When she applied the pulp to my leg, it stung and I tried to wretch my leg free, only to make it hurt in the process from the broken joint. She had her other paw on my side to hold onto me, which was rapidly rising and falling.

"The bone is knitting together well, the cuts stopped bleeding and… stop trying to move around so much I know it hurts." She snapped before continuing.

"Try to keep off of it more, every time you put weight on it the fracture reopens the clots in the severed arteries and the mended bone gets weaker." She explained, talking so rapidly that I had trouble keeping up. Then her voice broke up as if in guilt and she said.

"I'm really sorry, I did the best that I could, but it won't heal right with the way it was broken."

Crestfallen, she let the words sink in while she wordlessly rewrapped my leg and dashed off somewhere else. I started crying, but I held in the tears and the sadness. I was never going to be able to run again. I sniffed and willed myself to stop crying so I wouldn't have to face the fact that I was going to be a cripple for the rest of my life. Vicky returned and fussed with the bandages on my neck, but never said anything. I brought my tail around me and pressed my face into it, trying so hard not to cry in front of everyone. Gratefully, I was feeling dizzy from all the herds and I fell asleep.

I woke up when I felt a hot paw prodding my side, pushing me over before I really woke up. I opened my eyes to see Blazefire above me, looking exhausted and stressed. Getting the unspoken message I got up and stretched while he impatiently left the Nursery without waiting for me. I scrambled after him, following him out of the tawny colored tent but I couldn't keep up with only three legs. I slipped on a stray leaf and crashed to the ground.

"Come on." Blazefire growled, sounding stressed and tired while he had to stop and wait for me to get up. I pushed upward with my legs, but instinct made me forget my injury and a lance of pain went through my broken foreleg. I tried to run, bounding forward only to crash to the ground because I couldn't run with only one foreleg. I started crying, but tried to be strong and not be so weak in front of Blazefire. I fell on the ground again and didn't get up, fat tears running from my eyes.

I was never going to be able to run again, I was crippled. I broke down and cried, feeling worthless and broken. All the sadness I had managed to hold back before came crashing out. Blazefire walked up to me slowly, his earlier impatience forgotten and he looked with sympathy to me before lying down next to me, wordlessly offering me comfort. I felt his giant fluffy tail curl around me and scoot me closer until I was pressed against his warm fur. He let me cry into his fur until my eyes had run dry, but I was still sobbing. The pain would never go away, I was going to be useless for the rest of my life.

"Why…I don't…want to be helpless…why is it like this…" I cried, torn up inside because. One of his huge paws stroked my back, encasing me in warmth until I looked up to see his sharp Onyx colored eyes. He had a sad look of understanding on his expression, and he stroked my back again to quiet me before saying.

"I was a cripple too, but that never stopped me." He said before suddenly getting up and turning around. I didn't see what he meant until he flexed his left side and a massive ugly black scar appeared that ran the entire length of his body from his shoulder to his haunches. I realized suddenly that every time before he had always shown his right side, concealing this scar. The injury looked devastating, it was a wonder he survived an injury that deep and wide.

"It happened a year ago, and I nearly died that day. If it wasn't for Shade, I would be dead. My coordination is no longer fluid, I can't outrun or chase anymore. The only option left for me is to stand my ground and fight. If I flex the wrong way, I could tear the scar and bleed out. It won't ever heal, one day this scar will kill me, but not today." He said while I stared wide eyed at the massive injury.

"If you constantly think about what you can't do anymore, you won't get anywhere. You still have three good legs, and in time you could walk just as fast on them as anyone. We can't control what happens to us, but we can choose what to do about it. I choose to fight rather than wait in terror for the Shadowborne like the others."

"What's the Shadowborne?" I asked, but he started to walk and I got up with difficulty and followed him. He turned to look at me as I limped along and I noticed for the first time how he had to compensate for his injury when he moved.

"It is a legend that we hold dear. A prediction that one day, a savior will be born that will have the power to rid the world of Shadow Pokemon so that we can live without constant fear again. The world was not always like this Crystal, once it was a peaceful place." He said and continued to walk on while I tried to keep pace so I could hear the rest of the story.

"They call him the Shadowborne because he will supposedly be born of darkness and bear the image of a Shadow Pokemon. Yet he will have a pure heart that no amount of evil can touch. The Shadow with a pure heart, destined to save us all, that is his legend." He said, and a strange expression was in his eyes as he described this.

"Crystal, stop and see where you are." He said and I looked up to see that we were back at his familiar red tent. I had limped all the way back while he had talked. For a second I felt hope again that I could one day be able to move freely again. Blazefire smiled at my enthusiasm before lifting me up by my scruff to carry me inside. He set me on the red cushion before he turned to leave, probably still having things to do even at this time at night.

"Blazefire!" I said to get his attention before he left and he stopped and looked back at me.

"Thank you."

For a second I thought I saw unbearable sadness in his eyes, but he smiled with a nod and walked away before I could wonder about his sad expression. Lulled by the soft heat leftover on the cushion, I fell asleep again, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming that I could run again.


	7. Chapter 7

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

Silently I stalked through the undergrowth, concentrating on one smell in the thousand that lurked in the air. My pawsteps were light and soundless, but my claws were drawn and ready to kill. The Stantler raised its head, unsure of something and I pressed against the ground, trying to hide my red fur among the dense undergrowth. I took another step forward, and a twig snapped. I launched myself at my prey before it could register the sound, grazing its haunch with my claws before the deer Pokemon bolted. Growling in frustration I chased after it, not daring to use my fire in a forest this dense. Within moments it had escaped, and I was left panting and frustrated. Damn it, I was so close I could almost taste it. The Stantler alone would have been more than enough to feed me and several others. Shaking my head vigorously to rid myself of its lingering smell, I stormed back the way I had come to the steel labyrinth of the human city. My large tail was whipping behind me as I walked, no longer caring about stealth now that I had lost my prey.

Crystal was still curled up on her cushion when I returned, curled up into a tight ball of soft brown fur. Without a further glance I left, seeking food to satisfy my hunger in the heat of the day. The sun was nearly touching the horizon, warning of the night that would come soon. I liked the night, the heat of my fur and the starlit sky above as a thrill to me, unlike the bright boring day that followed. My eyes were more intoned to the dark, too much light hurt on occasion. There was not a trace of Dark Matter in the air, everything seemed peaceful…and boring.

"Well if it isn't Fluffy." Mocked an all to familiar voice that made my hackles raise at the mere sound of it.

"What the hell do you want Beast?" I challenged, baring my teeth at the arrogant Swampert hulking in front of me with a disgusted look on his face.

"How's your sweetheart kitty, I heard you took in some girl so you could fu-"

"Call me kitty again and I will burn you." I threatened, wanting so badly to unsheathe my claws and rip this arrogant piece of shit into tiny chunks and eat him instead of having to bear with his crap everyday.

"We all know you wouldn't do it, your too scared to take me on, now answer my question or are you now deaf as well as stupid." He mocked, uncrossing his arms and trying to appearing intimidating. I exhaled embers in anger but restrained myself from killing him on the spot.

"Why don't you go and do something instead of gawking at everyone else you lazy piece of shit." I growled, wanting so badly for him to attack so I could have a reason to strike at him. Before either of us could consider fighting Drake landed with a thud between us.

"Knock it off Blazefire. Beast, quit being an asshole." He commanded in a serious tone. Beast shrugged and left, but not before muttering under his breath loud enough for everyone to hear "Later Freak."

"Blazefire, let it go." Drake warned, thumping his tail on the ground.

"One of these days I am going to kill him."

"Our conflict is with the Shadow Pokemon, not each other. As much as you dislike him, we need him. Warriors of his caliber are as rare as rainbows these days." Drake explained.

"I know that!" I shouted back, still infuriated at the big idiot.

"Why do you guys hate each other so much, I remember you used to be friends, what happened?" Drake questioned, this time not being the first he had voiced this statement.

"Something that can't be changed." I snapped back and left, not saying another word to Drake. I felt a rush of wind when he took off to the sky, ruffling my long fur and throwing bothersome dust in my face unintentionally. I turned my gaze to the west and watched the blood red sunset in the distance, anticipating the night. Drake was right…at one point me and Beast were friends, though never as close as me and Ratchet are. I ground my claws into the pavement, burying that constant anger I felt for Beast.

I spun on the spot and headed in the direction of the center of the city, walking for no apparent reason other than to clear my head and find something edible. A quick passing though made me think of Crystal, and I immediately shook my head, appalled at myself. It did not take me long to finally find something to eat that wasn't already dead, and at the same time relieving the storage building of a few Rattata.

"Wait for me, its dark outside!" yelled an annoyingly high pitched voice as a pair of kids scrambled by me in their haste. I snarled at them, then regretted it as they scrambled to find something to hide behind. I glared at the two kids a moment longer before leaving them cowing behind a steel car. They didn't know yet that the world was hell, they were still innocent to everything beyond the next game they could play. I scowled at them, because they never had to go through what I had to, they were normal. Fate didn't single them out to be a freak for the rest of the world to despise and fear.

Once, I was like them too… oblivious to the hell that we really live in. But that was a long time ago, back before everything changed in one night for me. Before I became Blazefire…before my family died…before I knew I was a monster…

_Flashback_

_ I strained the muscles in my back legs and leapt over the bush, my fluffy brown tail sailing behind me as I dashed through the forest in the sheer ecstasy of having fun. On my right, my sister ran at me and I dug my long claws into the ground and changed direction in an instant, causing her to slip and fall in the dirt while I darted out from under her paws again. Yelping with excitement, I gave a flying leap into a large tree, digging my claws into the rough bark and scampering up the tree. My sister ran and jumped at the tree, but couldn't climb it with her small claws._

_ "Rusty that's not fair, come down here!" She yelled, whipping her furry tail around in impatience. _

_ "Come on you can climb too, just dig your claws in." I yelled back, making myself comfortable on the tree branch. She tried again, only to slide down the trunk of the tree in failure. She huffed and fluffed up her fur before trying again, only to lose some fur on the rough bark and yelp in pain. She glared at me for a few minutes before she suddenly smiled._

_ "Good luck getting down, bye!" she said before turning tail and running off._

_ "Wait for me." I called, but when I looked down, I clutched the branch tighter in fear. I looked around in distress, hoping to find someone to help me down, but no one answered my squeals. Whimpering loudly ,I sunk down on the branch, unable to work up the courage to leap down off the high branch. She would come back right? I waited, letting my tail sag as I watched the sky darken. Once again I looked down at the ground below, but still held onto the branch. I was beginning to get scared, wondering if I was going to be stuck here for the whole night. Then I heard a serpentine voice suddenly break the silence._

_ "Awww, what's wrong eevee, stuck in a tree?"_

_ I turned my head and screamed when I saw a large Arbok coiling around the tree branch, rearing its huge hooded head. I saw its mouth open and tried to move back, mistaking a step and falling off the branch in a moment of sheer panic. I fell through the air for a few moments before my back impacted the hard ground, driving all the breath out of me. I squealed and curled up in pain, fighting for breath as the predator slithered down the trunk of the tree. One of my legs was twisted and hurt from the impact, but the pain was numbed somehow._

_ My head was pounding with pain and I was seeing stars, but I managed to get onto my paws and run, screaming and yelling for help as the serpent gave chase. Frantically tearing through the undergrowth I tripped and fell on a root in panic. I cowered in fear and waited for the serpent to catch me in its coils, but the giant purple snake never appeared again. For a few tense moments I dared not move, wondering if I had lost it. My leg was really beginning to hurt now. I made a soft cry, calling for someone in the darkness of the night, but no one answered me. The darkness didn't scare me, sometimes it even felt comforting, and I could see really well in the dark. Hesitantly I emerged from my hiding place, looking around for anyone. _

_ "Hello…" I called, and there was a slight shuffling before a Tyrouge came out of no where. As it got closer, I saw a Poochyena and another Pokemon I didn't recognize with it. They were not covered in that black stuff, so they weren't Shadow Pokemon, were they here to help me?_

_ "I swore I heard something…" muttered one of them and I walked closer, still scared of them but desperate. At once they all went silent when I appeared. There was a brief silence before I managed to say something._

_ "Can you help me? Please…I'm lost..." I squeaked. The Tyrouge who appeared to be the leader of the group just stared at me with a furious expression on his face. I took a step back, why was he mad at me. The others moved closer, as if trying to box me in. I took another nervous step back, wondering what was going on._

_ "Half Shadow Freak." _

_ The Tyrouge's fist slammed into my jaw, knocking me on the ground. I closed my eyes and hunched on the ground as another blow struck my back, expelling all my breath from my lungs._

_ "Fiend!"_

_ I cried and wailed, but they kept on hitting me. I felt teeth on my neck and went very still, praying for them to stop as tears ran unchecked down my face._

_ "Monster."_

_My fur was ripped off around my neck, and my back leg was wretched back painfully. I squirmed and tried to run but a hard fist hit my eye and again I was on the ground. The Tyrouge picked up a stone before hurling it at me. I fought and bit, but then teeth tore the thin membrane of my ear and I collapsed. Again I felt a blow hit me, but I was no longer moving, only crying and asking why they were doing this. It hurt…so much. Blood was trickling out of the corners of my mouth, and my hearing was all warped because they tore my ears. They were kicking me now, and I was limp on the ground, still crying. I didn't even realize it when there was a sudden blast of green energy from an attack, and then the pain stopped. _

"_Rusty!"_

_I opened my eyes and saw a young, strong Leafeon looking down on me with shock and love on her face, my mother. I stirred as if to move, and a wave of pain lanced through me, making me cry._

"_Rusty…" She repeated, curling her leafy tail around me and rubbing me with her muzzle affectionately while she tenderly licked a wound on my shoulder._

"_Mom…"_

"_Hush Rusty, its okay I'm here now, I'm so sorry."_

"_Why?" I cried, that one word expressing all the pain and confusion I was feeling right now. She didn't answer, only holding me tighter as if they bad people would return and try to hurt me._

"_Its because your different Rusty, and that is nothing to be ashamed of."_

"_What is a half Shadow?" I asked, remembering vividly the things they called me. Again she didn't answer, as if to do so would cause her more pain than she was already feeling._

"_It's what you are Rusty…" she stalled with a pained look in her eyes before finding my scruff in her mouth and carrying me home again._

_End Flashback_

I found out that day I was a half Shadow. No matter where I went or what I did, I would always be hated for the one unchangeable fact of my birth. I was a monster, a hybrid between Shadows and Pokemon. No one would ever see the real me, only the fact that I was a half Shadow…an abomination.

"Blazefire…"

I turned to see Ratchet sitting on the path that lead to the tent I used as shelter. He rose to his paws and faced me with a serious look that deeply contrasted from his normal, relaxed expression.

"How long do you plan on concealing the truth?" He stated simply.

"I don't know what your talking about." I growled.

"You know damn well what I mean." Ratchet countered, pausing a bit before continuing.

"She is going to find out the truth herself before long, it can't be hidden forever. And think about when she finds out, she will be devastated that no one even told her what had really happened to her on that day."

"I planned on telling her okay." I muttered.

"When? I bet you don't even know just today she was complaining about stomach pain in the nursery. Vicky is still hiding it from her, but it is only a matter of time before she figures it out on her own."

"Ratchet, don't you know how badly telling her the whole truth will hurt, she might lose the will to live."

"It is better than her finding out herself. We both know that she stands a very good chance of dying, but that hasn't happened yet and I for one still have hope that she will pull through alive." Ratchet argued.

"But-"

"Blazefire, she trusts you more than anyone here, looks up to you, even runs to you when she is scared. You are the only person she trusts that much, and think about the impact it would have on her if she found out you were lying and holding the truth from her."

"Ratchet just give me time, I will tell her I promise." I said, knowing that he was right and that it wasn't fair for me to just not tell her.

"I trust you." He said before bounding into the night. I stayed out in the darkness a moment longer before yawning deeply and entering the small red tent that was my home. I curled up on the remaining cushions and tried to fall asleep, but my mind was restless with the conflict I was facing.

"_How to tell her something like that, where do I even begin?"_ There was no real answer here no matter how I looked at it. Dear Arceous what do I do-

"…Blazefire…" came her squeaky voice from behind me and I turned to see her standing in front of me with her tail pressed to one side of her. Her ears were lowered and she looked afraid and nervous, as if she was afraid I might suddenly swat at her.

"I couldn't sleep…and…its cold…" She trailed off, obviously at a loss of words and too nervous to finish. I shifted a bit and she flinched back, expecting some insult or rejection. Why was she still scared of me, I never hurt her once? I reached out a paw and she cringed, expecting to be struck. Instead I pulled her close, letting her snuggle into my warm fluffy fur. She squeaked a thank you and closed her pretty eyes, still shivering ever so slightly.

Somehow, curling up with her made me forget the dilemma that was eating away at my mind and for once my head was clear, not clouded with anger or jealousy. I laid my huge tail over her brown fur. I shouldn't be bonding with her, I was a Half shadow and she was too…pure. That made the knowledge of what I knew would happen to her all the more painful, because the same thing had happened to my mother.

_"How am I ever going to tell her?"_


	8. Chapter 8

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

When I woke up, the warmth and comfort of Blazefire's fur was gone, only his scent was still in the air. Uncurling my tail from around myself I rose on my paws and stretched, arching my back. My injuries had healed so much, there was barely a sliver of pain left whenever I moved. My broken foreleg still hurt however, but the pain was much duller than it had been, and the cast that Vicky had made for me was strong and comfortable.

When I straitened however, a sudden bolt of pain from my stomach made me curl up again. It hurt so bad, and it felt like my intestines were on fire. After a moment the pain faded, but the discomfort still remained. I tried to ignore it, Blazefire had done enough for me, I didn't want to bother him over a stomachache. Yet, it felt so much different than a stomachache. It had started about a week ago, and had been slowly occurring more and more frequently. Shaking my head and not wanting to think about the fact that I could be sick, I drank from the large brass bowl of water that Blazefire kept in his tent, letting the cool water soothe the discomfort, even if just a little bit.

My mind kept wandering however, to the few lines of conversation that I had overheard last night.

_ "When? I bet you don't even know just today she was complaining about stomach pain in the nursery. Vicky is still hiding it from her, but it is only a matter of time before she figures it out on her own."_

Was there something that Blazefire wasn't telling me? Something so important and dreadful that he would make sure that everyone never said a word about it? I had to find him and ask. The chill of the morning was no surprise considering how cold it was last night. The sun was already up, but there was no one in sight. Cautiously I started walking forward, trying to find Blazefire or someone I recognized as the small patch of forest where the familiar red tent gave way to a giant mass of hard rock and steel structures. I glanced around confused until I decided on going right, and walked on the rough stone that made up nearly the entire city. I was so used to limping around without my left foreleg to brace upon, that the awkward hop that I had to do was almost natural now. Still I couldn't find anyone, so I kept on walking, knowing that I was lost, when suddenly a horrific sight showed itself around a corner.

There were many large posts set into the ground, most of them had ropes or chains attached, and Pokemon were bound to them. One was unmistakably dead, and another was glaring at me with a wicked expression as I walked by. Why were they chained and tied, what was wrong with them. I stepped a little closer and the feral Pokemon attacked, but the chain around its neck stopped it before it could get to me. I noticed many long black marks like tattoos on its pelt, and its eyes were nearly all red and terrifying. Something about the red color in them made me unexplainably afraid, and I bolted from the Pokemon when it barked threateningly. I didn't look where I was going and bumped into something very large and wet, bouncing off and landing on my butt.

"S-sorry." I stammered, my eyes growing wide at the sigh of a very large and mean looking Swampert. I started to back away, and was suddenly cornered between the corner of a large stone building and the huge water type.

"Hey now what's the rush, let's have a chat shall we?" he suddenly said, taking a few steps closer and blocking the sun, throwing me into darkness.

"I- uh- " I stammered, fumbling for words as I tried to back away from the Swampert, but was pressed up against the wall.

"You're the little girl that the bastard took in aren't you." He suddenly realized, talking with an aggressive tone. He reached out a hand and I freaked and bolted, but he caught me before I could get past him, holding me off the ground by my scruff at his eye level.

"Put me down, please let me go!" I pleaded, my legs kicking the air helplessly.

"So I wonder why he did it huh, saving a half dead wretch like you. I'll bet he only keeps you around to fuck you, isn't that right you little bitch." He cursed, glaring at me while I cringed out of fear and pulled my legs and tail together as if to protect my exposed stomach. I was scared, was he going to hurt me, I never did anything to him.

"Please st…-oww!" I squeaked when he pinched my neck painfully.

"So I guess the only reason you're still breathing after all this time with a monster like him is because you are carrying his seed, aren't you."

"No1 I- " I tried to say in my defense but his long fingers had wrapped around my neck and he was choking me. I panicked and flailed, but my tiny claws couldn't do anything against him and my hind legs were held useless off the ground. I was scared, very, very scared.

"Shut up you little whore, even I can tell your expecti-OWWWWWWW" He suddenly howled, dropping me as I felt a strange shiver and then a crackling sound was heard. I landed awkwardly but sprang to my feet, expecting him to attack me.

Beast was holding his hand, and it was bleeding and frozen with several ice crystals sticking out of his hand like mini spears.

"You…little bitch, what the hell did you do? You're a shadow just like him aren't you!" He yelled and suddenly charged me. I cringed and closed my eyes, expecting the worst when there was a sudden flash of movement and someone bit my scruff and moved me out of his way. When I was set down, I glanced up to see the withered but green leaf of Vicky looking furious beside me.

"Attacking a little girl with a broken leg, that's a new low for you Beast." Mocked Vicky, pointing the leaf on top of her head like a sword at the huge water type. Beast glared back at the aged Leafeon with what seemed to be pure malice. He looked like he absolutely despised the grass type for some reason.

"She has nothing to do with you so leave her out of this."

"You see what she did!" He yelled, showing his bleeding hand. "No eevee can do that, there is something wicked about her."

"Oh really, I see nothing wrong with a poor little girl who just defended herself when she was attacked." She argued back, sounding sassy like a mother scolding a child on purpose to irritate him.

"I see, always defending your own, your'e all bitches you know, choosing to save and defend those who can't be saved over those who can. I saw red in her eye, there is Dark Matter in her, and if it can manifest into elements on its own, imagine what could happen when-

"This doesn't even have anything to do with her does it, you are taking your anger for Blazefire out on her. After all this time, I thought you two would understand each other. I thought after all this time, you would have moved on from when-"

"If you say another word about my son, I will break your neck missy." He suddenly said in a softer tone that was somehow more threatening.

"I would like to see you try, punk." She retorted, the leaf on her head already ablaze with green energy. Yet, Beast had just left, not even caring to carry out his threat. There was a tense moment while Vicky stared after him with what seemed to be a sad expression. She seemed, almost regretful.

"Vicky." I started to ask, confused as to what just took place between her and Beast.

"Oh, sorry you had to see that sweetie. Anyway let me see your leg, I think he might have jammed it when he grabbed you." She said, suddenly changing emotions to almost sympathetic. My leg didn't hurt, I just felt numb and sick.

Did I really do that to him…but…I never did anything. I was just scared.

"Vicky, there you are." Suddenly shouted a happy energetic voice. I turned to see Ratchet striding forward, holding his tail in his hand just for no reason at all.

"What is it." She said, answering quickly.

"Actually I was going to ask if you had seen Crystal, but you already found her…Did something happen that I missed." He asked at the end after looking at me. I guess I looked like a frightened mess of fur, and there was still a faint smell of blood in the air from earlier. Why could I smell it so easily?

"Ratchet, do you mind taking her for right now, I am really busy and I think she is tired of being carried by the scruff all the time."

"You mean that your back is tired of carrying her, its not about her." Ratchet joked back while I stared back a little uncomfortable as to being talked about as if I wasn't here. I could walk…but then I remembered that there was something I had to find out. Blazefire had been talking to Ratchet, so he would know what this important thing I needed to know was.

"You calling me old, I'll skin you." She jested back.

"You have to catch me first, and I think your knees creak too much to sneak up on me." Ratchet joked back, not at all serious.

"Why you!" she shouted, trying to sound angry but smiling to hard to accomplish such a thing. I started to smile as if to join in on the joy, when a sudden jolt of pain from my lower stomach made me cringe and hold my middle in pain. Vicky seemed to realize what was happening before Ratchet did, and ran to my side to wrap her tail around me while I rocked back and forth.

"Oh no, its getting worse." She whispered, not intending for me to hear but my ears picked up her words easily.

"What is, what-"

"Hey Crystal I want you to chew on this leaf okay, it will ease the pain."

"But-" I wanted to ask but the leaf was pushed unceremonially into my mouth when I opened it to speak. The juice of the leaf was bitter, but it worked fast and soon the cramps and pains in my lower stomach began to fade.

"Ratchet, has Blazefire…" Vicky started to ask.

"No. I'll leave it to him to tell her. I think it would be better that way." Ratchet answered seriously. I spat the distasteful leaf on the ground, but before I could say anything I was hushed by Vicky.

"I have to go and do something really fast, so please try to stay out of trouble sweetie." She said and then sprinted off with a dexterity that didn't fit her age. Ratchet started walking and motioned for me to follow. Summoning up my courage, I asked.

"Ratchet, what were you talking about with Blazefire last night?"

He straitened in surprise at my statement and whirled around to face me with a startled expression that almost seemed desperate.

"What? H-how much did you hear?" he asked.

"Ratchet-"

"Look, I know you're tired of this, but if you really want to know then ask Blazefire." He said, trying to avert my eyes for some reason.

"You said something about it killing me-"

"I didn't use that wording, and…and…you, just please don't bring it up." He said, fumbling for words. The conversation went silent for a while until I asked another question that had been bugging me.

"Ratchet, did Blazefire once know Beast, the two seem to hate each other."

"It wasn't always like that. Bad things happened…beast changed. You see when he found out about Blazefire's heritage, he hated him." He answered, confusing me more than helping me understand Beast's strange hatred for Blazefire.

"But why, what is so bad about him?" I asked, not understanding what he was getting at. However Ratchets ears perked up and he interrupted me when I was about to ask another question.

"Here you are Crystal. There is some food I laid out for you inside the tent. I don't know when Blazefire will be back, he just left without notice." Ratchet said rather quickly before bounding off in the distance. The way both Vicky and Ratchet were choosing to not answer anything I asked was a little scary. Was there something so bad, that they thought I would change because of it. Feeling suspicious and disappointed, I pushed open the flaps on the red tent and entered the familiar room.

I curled up on the red cushion and tried to sleep, knowing it could be a long time before he returned, but sleep wouldn't come. Fear of what he wasn't telling me was churning in my stomach. Was it so bad that he was actually afraid of telling me. Blazefire's tent was far away from the rest of the group, and for the first time I wondered why. Yet, exhaustion took its toll, I was nearly asleep when I felt hot breath on my neck.

"Crystal…"

I shifted my head to see Blazefire standing a bit from me. I woke up fully when I realized he was bleeding from one of his forearms and back.

"What, happened." I asked as he sat down on his haunches with a pained look.

"I was careless, and a group of travelers attacked me." He responded curtly and twisted around to try and get the wound on his back, but he wasn't flexible enough with the crippling scar on his side. I started to ask if I could help, but a sharp glance from Blazefire was immediate. Apparently he knew what I was thinking.

"Why did they attack you, don't you fight to protect them?" I asked.

"Most Pokemon aren't so grateful. But its not so much as who I am or what I did. It is all because of what I am." He sighed, giving up trying to reach the shallow wound on his back. I looked back with confusion at the sudden display of sadness, totally unsure of what he meant. Again he seemed to be able to read my mind and sighed again before sprawling out on the ground with his forelegs stretched out. Even flat on the ground, he was still bigger than me.

"Crystal, do you know what a Half Shadow is?" He asked, looking serious all of a sudden. I shook my head. I had heard about the Shadow Pokemon, but this was something no one ever told me.

"You see, sometimes when feeling of hatred or anger or some other bad emotion consume a person, they literally become a Shadow through their own feelings. That was, how I recall it, how the Dark Matter first manifested itself. True those badly injured by Shadows can become corrupted, but those who give into the process willingly or are slowly converted, are far stronger. Sometimes, they are even intelligent, which makes them far more dangerous than other Shadows, even Legendary Shadows." He explained and paused a bit before continuing.

"Not all Shadows just want to kill. Sometimes…they even attack for no other reason than…lust. It is never consented…and it is becoming more common than it used to. A half Shadow is created when a Shadow Pokemon rapes another, and the child that is born is…deformed." He said the last part sadly. I started to realize something.

"What do you mean?" I asked anyway, when the clues began to make sense. At first it seemed impossible, but I found myself believing it.

"When someone like me is born, trace amounts of Dark Matter are with us from the beginning. We look slightly different, and because of that shadow we are born with, and others hate us for it. They think of us as demons because of the taint in our blood, and they hate us for it." He said, there was a tremor in his voice. I realized he was talking about himself, he was a half Shadow. That explained…everything about him.

"What about your mother, what happened to her?" I asked, feeling a strong sense of dread. Up to now he had maintained eye contact with me, but now he was staring at this outstretched paws.

"She…died giving birth to me. Things like me…aren't natural, and in the end…our very birth usually kills." He said. I then understood that he could have simply told me she died in birth, but he wanted me to know about the curse of bearing a half shadow. But why?

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, suddenly afraid of the answer. He started to reply, and then lost his nerve and looked away.

"Just something you need to know." He said, fumbling for words in a hasty excuse. This wasn't like him, why was he hiding something.

"Blazefire…"

"Not tonight Crystal. I will tell you…some other time."

"But when-"

"I don't know dammit!" He suddenly snapped, a now furious look in his eyes.

"You want to know so badly, well here's the truth then, you're going to die Crystal, and nothing Vicky can do will save you."

"Wha-"

"You're carrying a half Shadow, you were raped by a Shadow Pokemon when your home was attacked. All this time you have been carrying that Shadow Mightyena's seed."

I stared back in utter shock at the furious ranting of the Flareon that had offered me a home, food, companionship. The Flareon I had trusted. I took a step back, my eyes getting wider in the minute as I realized what my stomach pains were. I took another step back, and something snapped and I bolted.

It couldn't be true, I didn't want to die. I had to get away, flee from this nightmare. I ran in hysterical fear, trying to escape the pain in the truth.

"Just run then, that's all everyone has ever done from me!" I heard him shout and I ran all the harder. Run away, I had to get away. From everything, I didn't want to die, why didn't he tell me? I trusted him!

I thought I heard a feral yell of anguish from behind me, but I kept running.


	9. Chapter 9

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

I wanted to burn something so bad, it felt like the fire itself was ready to rise up out of my fur. I struck the ground, leaving furrows from my claws and yelled out in anguish, a faint scorched smell filling the air before I realized I had burned a gigantic hole in the tent like shelter that I had been given. I didn't care, it was all worthless. I felt betrayed, furious…hurt.

I couldn't even bear to watch her run away in fear from me, I didn't even try to stop her. This was all my fault, why didn't I tell her when she was first waking up? Why did I have to go and make things so complicated? She might have lost the will to live and died anyway if I told her of her fate to begin with. I swung my paw in a violent arc, utterly destroying the small brass bowl and sending its remnants flying over the room as the water it contained splashed accidentally on me. It stung, like acid on my skin, but somehow it helped to calm me down, even if my blood was roaring in my ears. I let myself sink to the ground, defeated.

Why had I let Crystal into my heart, there was nothing but tragedy for one like me. I should have never let her become so close, so persistent in my thoughts. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to regret it. That was why it hurt so much, because of how she made me feel, like someone even as cursed as me…could have someone to care for. I knew she was going to die from the moment I found out from Vicky when she regained consciousness. There was a slim chance of her surviving, but it was as rare as if the Legendaries themselves were to suddenly present themselves to me and apologize for giving me such an awful fate.

I clenched my claws in the earth, tearing loose a pawful of dirt in angony before rising sharply to my feet with newfound determination.

_"Go after her you idiot."_

I bolted to my paws and jerked myself into motion, running after the trail she had just run though moments ago. I didn't know how far she could have gotten running on her own with her injured leg, but I was certain I would catch up to her if I ran faster. It was my fault that she ran, and it was now my responsibility to do what I could. If she got hurt or attacked because of this, I wouldn't forgive myself for it. How could I have been such a goddamn idiot?

It was no use accusing myself now, I had to deal with the present. The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, which made the night dark. To me, it was enough light to suffice, I was half Shadow, I could see in the darkness better than I could in bright light. My serrated claws gouged the earth as they got traction as I barreled my way through the forest, shouldering aside or leaping over any obstacles. She couldn't have gotten very far. The initial rage that I had felt was already smoldering and dying, replaced by something else. She hadn't seemed alarmed when I told her I was a Half Shadow. She had seen me many times before, had she already known what I was, and yet still trusted me? That fact carried a warm glow with it, that motivated me to move just as much.

I stopped, skidding for a small distance in the earth. The ground angled sharply here, leading to a small cliff of sorts. Someone with a bad limp like her would have easily fallen down it, but that wasn't what surprised me. There was a layer of frost in her trail. The fear scent in the air had been steadily growing as she ran farther, and at this point it was overpowering.

_"Is she doing this? But, that's impossible."_ I wondered, scratching at a plate of ice that had frozen over a puddle of water. Vicky had told me what happened when Beast confronted her, could she have gotten scared, and instinctively attacked him in that way. But she was an eevee, there was no way she could have done something like that, or even this. That move, destroying his hand by freezing the blood and making it spike out, that was something a Shadow would do, then could she…

A knot of fear grew in my stomach when I realized what was happening, why the ice was appearing, and her growing fear. I started sprinted with new vigor, and found that I didn't even need to track her scent, there was a trail of frost in her wake. If the dark matter in her was responding to fear, then being scared would only trigger it, and make her irrationally afraid of everything. It is possible that that fear could trigger the dark matter to materialize, in the form of the elemental element ice. But then why is it happening like this, how could this happen she was an eevee? My head was spinning, all I knew is that she was spiraling out of control, and I needed to find her, fast before she succumbed to the dark matter or drew unwanted attention.

I barely managed to get two paces before something slammed into me, knocking me into a nearby tree. Caught off guard, I responded instinctively by opening my mouth and spewing fire at my foe, and heard the feral screech of a dying shadow. Another Shadow Raticate appeared, then another. Soon there were enough of them to start trying to surround me. Dammit, where did they come from, I don't have time for this.

The shadow lunged at me unnaturally fast. Raising a massive paw, I struck at it as it charged, snapping its neck with the staggering blow. The next tried to leap on my back, but I swung up with my claws and gutted it. I took a deep breath to fuel my fire and aimed at several of them, but the instant before I released the fire there was a tearing pain in my scarred side and then I was pushed to the ground by approaching mob. I fought back savagely, letting deadly instinct take the place of strategy, but for every wound I inflicted on my numerous attackers, another appeared on me.

"To hell with this!" I roared, and released a wave of fire from my body, scorching my opponetes and blowing them back. It was a dark matter attack, a form of Shadow Shockwave but with fire. The Raticate were all blown back by the shockwave of fire, one of them incinerated by the fire. With the fight no longer in their advantage, they fled, but not before I reduced another to ash with a blast of fire.

I took two breaths, then fell to the ground. My old wound was throbbing, torn in one area and bleeding. I staggered and tried to rise to my feet, refusing to be downed by a bunch of overgrown shadow rats, but I fell again. I felt rage, then panic. I needed to find Crystal, she was in distress. What if the Raticate came for her, I doubt that even ice powers would be able to save her, even if she did possess them.

_ "Come on, move dammit." _I cursed, and tried to force myself to my feet when I felt a searing rip in my side, and more of my old scar came open. I lied still. If I kept this up, I would just end up bleeding out all over the ground. It was hopeless, the only thing I could do was hope the wounds would clot up before something else found me.

There was no more rage, or hate, or even bitterness now. All of that had burned out. All that was left, was the sense of sadness and hurt that I had been combating with my rage. For the first time in a very long time, I wanted to cry. I tried to stop myself, I hadn't even cried since I had become Blazefire, but I felt so helpless and broken. Why did things always have to end like this. Whenever there is something important in my life…I fail to save it. I am a horrible failure…just like before…

_Flashback_

_A small eevee stood frozen with fear as the shadows approached, terrified beyond reason of the horrors staring back at him. There was another moment of fear, and then the young eevee with rust colored fur bolted, tearing through the woods in fear as the monsters pursued the little fox. He ran fast, using his unnaturally long and serrated claws to grip the ground as he ran. Without wasting a moment he leaped and latched onto a tree, climbing as fast as he could, but it was too late. One of the monstrosities grabbed him, gouging his back with claws and threw him to the ground. The small terrified eevee with red in his eyes only huddled in a ball, waiting for death without even trying to fight back._

_ "Rusty!" A voice suddenly shouted, and a Leafeon hurled herself into the fray, slicing and hacking at the shadows around her son with her leaf blade. There were many, and she was one, but she stood over her son…a kit that wasn't even hers by birth, and defended him as they attacked one by one. An attack finally hit her, then another, until she went down under the writing mass of Shadows._

_ The small, half shadow kit watched all this in terror, and ran. He ran rather than save his own mother who had stepped in to save him. Abandoning his family and sister and mother to the shadows, he ran, driven on my his fear. By now his back was slick with red blood, and his tainted eyes were huge in panic. It was not long before they were in pursuit of him again._

_The small eevee ran until his legs burned, but still he ran. _

_He ran and hid in a small cave, discovering horrifically that it lead no where, and was trapped inside of the pitch black cave. He could only watch as the Shadows that had killed them trapped him, and slowly began advancing on their cornered prey. Hopelessly trapped and scared, the half shadow eevee took a step back, and stepped on something glassy and warm. His body became suddenly covered in a warm light, and he felt his limbs strengthen and grow. A fire was kindled inside of him, and it burned. His blood burned with his new fire, and the half shadow nature in him awakened at last. _

_With demented fury, the half shadow Flareon arose _

_And burned them all._

_He incinerated every last shadow that came after him with his fire. His inner fire flared with the violence and anger, until all that was left was ashes._

_The half Shadow Flareon stood among the ashes, and roared out his new identity to the uncaring night. No more would he run from carnage and death, he would challenge the world as the Half Shadow he was. He was changed, he was no longer the Pokemon he used to be. With that roar, he declared his new name._

"_I am Blazefire!"_

_End Flashback_

Never again. I clamped my teeth together and rose to my paws with a jump, feeling pain again along my side and a trickle of blood run down my fur. I was not going to let anything like that ever happen again. I was no longer Rusty. I was Blazefire. I was not going to let anything ever stop me again. I would burn away everything that stood in my path, I would incinerated everything. I was Blazefire.

I staggered, nearly losing my balance and falling to the ground, but regained my footing and pressed on again, following the trail of frost in the ground. What was the point in being strong if I couldn't even have the strength to save someone important to me. Who cares what it takes, I had to get to Crystal, if I let her die now what would be the point in anything anymore. My life had begun to have purpose again, and there was no way an injury was going to change that. I couldn't run, but I was able to limp along, favoring my right side so I didn't disturb the mass of blood on my left side. Luckily, I didn't have to go far in my condition, because I heard crying. I leaped down the small cliff, gaining strength somehow.

At the foot of the ledge, there was Crystal in a sodden heap. She had obviously fallen down, and didn't have the heart to get up. Her ear twitched as I approached, and she turned to face me and I saw how startled and terrififed she was.

I took a step forward, and suddenly an ice spike appeared in the ground, barely nicking my paw. I looked at Crystal and saw her still afraid. I took another step forward, but this time she didn't tense as if to bolt, and even though the air felt unusually cold, nothing happened. I approached her one step at a time, doing my best not to frighten her. Why was she so afraid? It looked like right now,…

Everything scared her.

I could see black marks on her fur, and her eyes had tiny bits of violent red in them. The dark matter was reacting to her fear and spiraling out of control, only amplifying things even worse by making her irrationally afraid. She was scared, very very scared. If I frightened her, she would bolt, and I don't think I would be able to catch her again if she did.

"Crystal…"

She didn't respond, and took a small step back, not taking her wide eyes off me. For her step back, I took one forward slowly. This continued, until suddenly she was backed up against a wall.

"stay back…"

I took another step forward slowly towards her. There was a crackling sound as ice formed on the ground.

"Crystal…"

I took another step forward and she tensed up, but remained very still. I continued advancing slowly and fearlessly, even as on the side of me a bunch of ice spike blossomed in the ground. Crystal didn't move, trapped against the small cliff. The tension increased until I was close enough to touch her, and the air was so cold it stung. I could see the frost on her fur now, and how bad the damage the dark matter was wrecking was. In her mental state, things were only getting worse. I reached out a paw and she cringed, closing her eyes and I felt more ice appear all over. I grabbed her by the scruff gently with a paw, and pulled her into my fur, and at once the cold sting in the air vanished along with the tension she was in. She didn't resist, and went limp. The air was getting slightly warmer. It was alarming how cold she was, but that was starting to fade.

"Crystal, I am sorry." I said, failing miserably at words right now in the situation. She was still crying, and didn't answer.

"Crystal?"

"I don't want to die, what am I going to do…" she finally said in a small, weak voice. The worst part was, I didn't have an answer for her. She suddenly caught sight of the large rip in my side still leaking blood, and tried to back away, looking shocked. Somehow just then, I ironically staggered and fell. Damn it why now?

"Did I-…" she started to say and glanced scared at all the ice and spikes around.

"It wasn't you, I got attacked…" I said, trying to calm her down again. To my surprise, she started bawling again.

"You got hurt chasing after me, if I hadn't run off this wouldn't have happened I'm sorry, i-"

"Crystal stop it, its my fault for not telling you what happened to you. I just,…didn't want to hurt you." I admitted. Why was she making such a big fuss over the wound, it wasn't that bad I was only feeling a little dizzy. She shook her head at my statement. There was a long moment of silence before either of us said anything.

"I'll help you though this, I swear. There is still a chance you can make it. I…" I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the bold statement. Crystal looked at her paws, and suddenly asked.

"Blazefire…if I die…will you take care of the kit?"

I blinked, a bit shocked by the fact that despite everything, she still cared about the fate of the kit she now knew she was carrying. There was no need to answer, she knew.

I pulled her close, this time without the scruff, and hugged her to my chest, holding her until she started to calm down again with all the shock and stress. I made my decision then that I would stay with her, and see this through. I was going to try and find a way to save her, no matter what.

"Blazefire…"

I looked down at her and saw that she now had blood all over her side. I was shocked for a moment, and then realized the blood was mine, and then felt really dizzy. Crystal then took on a look of panic.

"You're hurt, its bad, really bad what do I do?" she panicked, looking at the large rip in my side. She started looking around frantically, and I tried to stand, and fell on my side, feeling horribly numb before my vision went white.


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note: **I must sincerely apologize to everyone I left hanging with this story. I will admit for a time I left fanfiction, and it was doubtful that I would begin updating again but I managed to regain my inspiration and now I am dead set determined to see this story through to the end. I have tried to avoid length authors notes on this story, so I will only say that this story is once again alive and well planned. This concludes the penultimate authors note that will take place in this story, as the final will be the epilogue, or a note explaining that I have died and my brother did not feel like continuing the story. Now without further ado, may I present a long awaited Chapter.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

_**The Hopeless War**_

Spadeleaf, I had to find it!

Frantically I dug through a bush and pawed at the small plants growing underneath, but none of them resembled what I was looking for. Panicking, I sprinted as best I could with my limp to another bush, but this time nothing was growing in the shady area underneath it. This is bad, I had to find it. Spadeleaf could be crushed over a wound to release a liquid that would help wounds clot faster. Blazefire's old scar had ripped when he came looking for me, I needed to find something to stop the bleeding or he would die.

Even though my injured foreleg was still aching from my tumble down the crevice earlier when I was still mindlessly scared, I ignored it and desperately searched for one of the few medical herbs that I could recall during my time with Vicky. Spadeleaf grew underneath bushes or other shady areas, but everywhere I looked so far all I could find was weeds.

I tripped and ended up tumbling through an old spinarak web. It was so old that the silk was not very sticky, but now I was covered in the stuff. As I frustratingly pulled off strand after strand from my fur, I was suddenly struck with an idea. I wound each strand that I could find around my injured foreleg, gathering up a large bundle of the spider silk. When I had gathered up all that I could find I ran off back to Blazefire, intending to use the silk like a bandage to help stop the bleeding. I ripped off a few Oran berries on my way for good measure, carrying as much as I could in my mouth so that I would keep the Spinarak silk clean.

I smelled the blood before I could find the crevice again, the smell guiding be back to Blazefire who was still unconscious and laying on his side. It took all of my strength to just flip him over so that I could treat his scar, getting a lot of blood on my hands in the process.

"Blazefire please hang in there, please! Don't die, your all I have don't die don't die DON'T DIE!" I started shrieking as I began clumsily wrapping the massive scar in the silk bandage. The wound was enormous, the scar stretched his entire length of body from shoulder to hip and ran very deep. It was a wonder that he had survived such a wound in the first place. My paw was shaking so much that I started tearing the bandage.

"_Calm down, you can't be of any use mindlessly panicking like this"_ I told myself in an effort to smooth my breathing but I was nearly hyperventilating, the smell of so much blood overwhelming all of my senses. I had never done something like this before and I was freaking out and feeling very sick. Somehow, I managed to get the entire wound covered in a thick layer of silk before I couldn't stand it any longer and turned and vomited my heart out behind a boulder.

I noticed then that I had been crying too.

Remembering a lesson that Vicky taught me, I breathed in very deeply and then held the breath for a moment before letting it out, trying to calm down. I felt slightly dizzy after a few moments but it helped my pulse stop racing so much. Although my mind was still sick with worry about Blazefire.

What if I had made things worse by trying to help? What then?

I shook my head. I couldn't deal with these kind of thoughts right now, I had to keep tending to Blazefire. I ran back out in search of more spiderweb and surprisingly found a lot of discarded webs hanging from trees. There must be a lot of Spinarak and Ariados in this area. Normally, that would frighten the hell out of me, but in this situation I had to be brave. At least once in my life I had to do something. Be strong…like Blazefire.

I repeated this process several times, managing to remove the bloodsoaked bandages and replace them with new ones without vomiting again. Eventually the bleeding stopped, though I was worried because he had lost so much blood that it could be he had none left to bleed. The sun was high in the sky, it must be mid afternoon, I realized with a start. Blazefire had found me sometime in the middle of the night, how long had I been frantically running around?

All at once, the exhaustion hit me like a wave and I found it hard to balance on my paws for a moment. I was tired, and hungry, and thirsty, and sore as well. I shook my head, trying to ignore the uncomfortable sensations. I told myself I needed to keep moving, but when I took but a few steps forward I nearly fell down from fatigue. The smell of my vomit was putrid, as was the constant reek of blood in the air. I noticed for the first time that I was covered in Blazefire's blood. I wanted to clean myself, but instead I found myself facedown on top of Blazefire's fluffy tail. In a moment, I was out like a light.

I felt sick when I was first waking up. I stirred and groaned, feeling even worse than when I went to sleep. It wasn't so much as physical exhaustion, I couldn't put a finger on it but I was just exhausted. My head was throbbing and even moving hurt. I stirred again, and accidentally rolled off of what I must have been sleeping on. Sleepily I opened my eyes.

I was surprised to find myself inside of Vicky's clinic rather than back at the stone crevice with Blazefire. At the mention of his name I jumped and looked frantically all around the clinic, finally finding the lump of dark red fur that obviously belonged to Blazefire. I got up to move and suddenly my broken foreleg exploded in pain, making me wince and squeak pitifully. I felt like crying.

Why was my foreleg suddenly in so much pain again? I hadn't hurt it that much when I fell down the crevice and it had been healing well. More than pain, it carried the unpleasant sensation of my skin crawling underneath the bandage. That's when I remember, could this be because the Dark Matter in me was getting worse?

A sinking feeling of despair rose in my stomach as I twisted myself as much as I could and saw black marks on my fur. They were small, and a few even looked to be fading, but it scared me nevertheless.

Fear…that was the core of the Dark Matter in me. I learned that from my "experience" earlier when Blazefire had to come rescue me. But why then did it manifest in the form of ice? Something like that was unheard of. The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. I wanted to sleep some more, but first I had to make sure Blazefire was alright.

I had to grit my teeth against the pain and got to my paws as slowly as I could so that I would not jar my injured foreleg. It was surprising how empty the place was. Aside from a dark shape in a corner that I could not make out, it was just Blazefire and me. Limping as best I could across the floor, I was startled when someone touched the fur on my back, making me squeal and jump. I spun around to see a familiar Raichu that I recognized as Ratchet. Before I could even say a word I was suddenly enwrapped in his arms, a bit of pain flaring up in my foreleg from his squeezing.

"Crystal you are alright! I was so worried when I heard that you had run off!" He said, then realized he was causing me pain and let go. I could see a bit of alarm on his expression at my condition, but I ignored it, the question of Blazefire's wellbeing pestering me.

"How did we end up here, is Blazefire alright?" I asked, shooting a glance to where I thought Blazefire was and saw that he still had not moved? Was he asleep or…

"Crystal, he is alright I promise you. In return, you need to get some sleep. You don't look so good, and it looks like you have been straining your leg too much." He said in a hushed voice.

"But-"

"I promise I will be here all night, just get some sleep. Blazefire is just sleeping now, he is out of danger." Ratchet interrupted. I wanted to argue, but at the same time I _was_ tired. More than tired, I was still exhausted. Reluctantly I limped back to my sleeping place, Ratchet walking with me in case I stumbled. It got really quiet, and then Ratchet broke the silence by sitting down near me.

"So I take it you know the truth now Crystal." He said quietly, just in case anyone happened to be listening in I guess. I nodded, not really having much to say in return.

"Look, I know it's not my place, but don't be mad at Blazefire. I mean, I know he did keep the truth from you for a long time about what was going on, but he did it because he didn't want to hurt you. Same with me. Me, Vicky, and Blazefire. The three of us is everyone that knows you are carrying a half shadow Crystal. This is for your protection. Some of us here, even pokemon you think you can trust, all share in the hatred of shadows. That is why this little group was formed after all, to fight the Shadows day in and day out." He said, and paused a bit before continuing.

"That endless fighting has also changed some of us. There are a few here, who don't know what to make of their lives anymore besides the act of endlessly waging war against the Shadows. Yes, I too fight them. But…I believe that there is more to life than fighting. Others have forgotten that. Those are the ones that are too set in their ways to see things from another angle. They cannot change…that is their fatal flaw. They hate anything related to shadows, and that includes half shadows. Blazefire has been keeping his secret for a while now, but I suspect that if people were to find out his origins they would try to kill him. That's why we need to keep this secret. Because if they learned that you are carrying a Half Shadow Crystal, regardless of the circumstances they would kill you." Ratchet explained, letting the words sink in.

I looked down miserable. This was all just so unfair. My broken leg…my broken life…what am I going to do in the future.

"Oh and Crystal." Ratchet suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts.

"I know that you think that you are weak and useless, but if it wasn't for you, Blazefire would undoubtedly be dead. Your quick thinking in spite of the desperate situation is something to be admired, maybe you should apprentice to Vicky, I am sure that she would be glad to have you. She has seemed to have taken a liking to you."

"But, Blazefire only got hurt because of me. I got scared…and ran off." I argued.

"You can think of it like that if you want, but in the end what is done is done. What you did took some strength, that's a fact." Ratchet said.

I could tell that he was trying to cheer my up and get my thoughts away from the matter at hand. I smiled at his praise to show my thanks and curled up on the cushion, still tired and hurting from the headache. Ratchet went to the wall of the nursery and sat down, leaning against the wall. Was he really going to sleep there? Keeping guard all night over just the two of us since Vicky was absent. But why-

It was simple. Pokemon he cared about where here. There was no way in hell he would let me or Blazefire be caught unawares while he could help it.

I deeply admired Ratchet's sense of loyalty. He and Blazefire seemed to be very close friends, despite how rude and irritating Blazefire sometimes acted. They accepted each others flaws and lent each other strength in dark times. He had a strength and purity that I wished I possessed. Then again, Ratchet had been though a lot more than I had. Probably just as many battles as Blazefire, and he had probably been shattered many times. Perhaps he valued his friends so much because they were all that he had left.

His guiding purpose in this cruel hopeless world: Friendship.

That made me think. What is my guiding purpose, the reason that I keep waking up and living my life in spite of all the horrible things that fate keeps throwing at me. Why am I here…

What do I live for…

I pondered the question endlessly until my fatigue got the better of me and I fell asleep, feeling comforted and safe. Things were going to be tougher, but at least I was not alone.


	11. Chapter 11

_Pokemon Mystery Dungeon_

_**The Hopeless War**_

_Ooowwwwwwww_

You know its going to be one pain in the ass day when your first rational thought is about the sheer amount of pain rippling down your side. God…Dammit…

Apparently Vicky must have heard me groan and trotted over to my side. To my surprise, she kicked me. I bolted upright, wondering what the heck I could have done to deserve that, then received another wave of pain from the scar on my side, but it was much less than earlier.

"Almost two whole days you were asleep. TWO DAYS. Do you know how hard it is to take care of an unconscious pokemon! Especially one that you can barely move due to his ridiculous size? How would you like taking care of _every _aspect of someone for that long! I don't think I have slept this month! – get up I know your fine quit whining your scar scabbed over already and I treated it…more than once. I swear if you get hurt like this again I will-

I walked away, silently cursing the fact that if the pain in my side was not enough to start the day with, now I had to contend with a headache and a thoroughly pissed off Leafeon. I fully believed her statement that she had not slept in forever, her mood was proof of that.

I looked around the area for Crystal, but did not find her anywhere inside the nursery. Her scent was still in the air, so she had been here, but where was she? Realizing that it was probably best not to ask Vicky in her current condition, I left the tawny colored tent in search of Ratchet. Last I could remember, I passed out in the stone crevice due to blood loss. It must have been nothing short of a miracle for Vicky and the others to find us before I bled to death.

Ratchet, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Where was that electric rat when you needed him anyway? I sighed and turned to Vicky who was organizing a pile of leaves into makeshift pots or bags that she had been able to scavenge from the human ruins. There was not a trace of her earlier outburst, but she looked dead up exhausted, more so than I had ever seen. It could have a lot to do with the stress of Crystals situation more than the endless stream of work.

"Hey Vicky, where is Crystal? Wasn't she here earlier?" I asked, wondering where she was since usually she never went off anywhere by herself if she couldn't help it. Not that I blame her. Immediately I knew something was up when Vicky avoided my question and continued doing what she was doing. Making noticeable effort to not make eye contact with me.

"Vicky, where is she." I pressed, and finally the somewhat old Leafeon turned to face me with a weary expression. Her tail was swishing around side to side, a sign that she was uncomfortable, which was strange.

"You are not going to like this Blazefire…but…," She said, pausing bit before continuing. "She is tied up at the Scourging Post."

"WHAT!?" I exclaimed.

"Please I tried it is not my doing, Beast came in here with his little group and a few others and showcased how infected she was with Dark Matter and they took her away. Ratchet was there when that happened so at least I don't think they hurt her." Vicky explained, looking ashamed of herself.

"Why would Beast…no, why would Drake and the others allow him to do such a thing!" I nearly shouted. Vicky looked away and said.

"You saw for yourself apparently when you caught up to her in that quarry how badly she is afflicted. Beast convinced a bunch of others that she was going to turn into a Shadow at any moment and made it clear that it was unsafe to have her anywhere but tied up at the scourging post. They might only keep her there for a few days until they are sure she is getting better rather than worse." Vicky hastily said. Furious, I turned and strode out of the doorway just as Vicky plopped down where she was, more tired than I had thought. My stomach growled and churned in pain from the fact that I had not eaten anything in a few days. Food could wait, first I had to make sure that Crystal was alright. It was not fair for her to be tied up like this.

The Scourging Posts where a series of large wooden posts that had rope or other restraining materials on them. They were used to tied up Pokemon that were going insane from Dark Matter so they wouldn't hurt anyone, and oftentimes the Shadow they became was killed there too.

A Raticate made the mistake of crossing my path when I leapt up on a roof for a shortcut, and hunger was no longer a problem, though I left quite a bloody mess behind in my haste. Even with that emotion relieved, there was still a knot in my stomach from the fact that Crystal was tied up there. If Beast had been able to persuade everyone like he had, then how much Dark Matter was afflicting her right now? What if he was right and she was slowly succumbing to the Dark Matter and becoming a Shadow? Then what?

I took a deep breath and leapt down from a rooftop and turned a corner, letting the Scourging post come into view. Usually I avoided this area for obvious reasons, and the lingering Dark Matter in the air only made my suspicions worse.

For the most part, the area was empty. There was only one post currently being used, and a short length of chain held a small eevee with a broken leg who was lying down on her stomach. Worried I padded up slowly to Crystal and her large ears perked when she heard me coming and she rose to her feet, the chain making a clanking sound as she did so. It had been roughly tied onto her neck in a noose to bind her to the post, but for the most part it did not appear as if anything else had been done to her. She tried to walk up to me but met the end of her chain leash and had to wait for me to come to her. It was heartrending, seeing her tied up like this.

Wordlessly I dashed up to her and nuzzled her face against mine, feeling so relieved that she was still okay. I embraced her lightly with care to her broken leg, and ominously noted the small black marks on her fur that were the obvious result of Dark Matter. I didn't care at the moment, I was just so glad to see her okay that I didn't want to spoil the moment by thinking too hard.

"I'm glad you're okay." She said after a moment, taking a step back so that I could see her face. I tried not to look too closely at her eyes. Crystal's beautiful watered blue eyes that were now polluted with little slashes of red. It was bad, very bad. But she seemed to be taking it okay.

"I'm more worried about you, I can't believe that they tied you up. What else happened while I was unconscious that I didn't know about." I said, wondering irritably if there was another piece in the story that I was missing.

"You know it was actually Crystal who saved your fur. She had to do some quick thinking and actually bound up your side with Spinarak silk despite all that had just happened." Ratchet said from somewhere to the side. I looked and saw that he had been leaning against one of the posts, probably sleeping.

"All of this mushy stuff is waking me up." He said with mock irritation, but really I could see that he was happy. Crystal blushed and I snorted, turning to face the annoying rat. I had a different bone to pick with him.

"Why did you let Beast and the others tie her up!" I said storming over to Ratchet. Crystal moved as if to catch me but got caught at the end of her leash and had to simply watch. The Raichu threw his hands up defensively and argued back though I was not really listening to what he said at all. I was just furious that Crystal was tied up with chain.

"Speaking of which, why are you here right now, aren't you supposed to be somewhere else doing who knows what?" I muttered.

"I did patrol the last two nights and this afternoon so that I could be here in case Beast and his gang wanted to pull something. Drake and the others didn't have a problem with it and I get some time to nap here in the sunlight." He argued back and I let my frustration simmer down. It wasn't Ratchet's fault that she got tied up, he probably even stood up to Beast and got ignored by everyone else. I calmed down, and then registered something that Ratchet had said earlier.

"Wait, so it was Crystal who-" I started but was interrupted by Ratchet who launched into a full blown story about how Crystal had managed to somehow stop the bleeding with Spinarak silk and keep her head in a desperate situation. Later he claims that Drake spotted the two of them and carried them back to Vicky. Crystal apparently woke up first and even helped Vicky for a bit before Beast stirred up all the attention and had her taken away. I looked to Crystal and saw that she was avoiding my gaze and blushing, a sign that it was a true story.

"Sorry…" I said to Ratchet after a moment, feeling bad for losing my temper to him when it was not his fault. To my surprise and immediate suspicious Ratchet put on a huge grin and moved toward me right as I felt an electric shock leave me twitching on the ground, my fur now standing on end.

"Look what I found when I was on patrol yesterday!" Ratchet practically yelled, brandishing a metal human tool that was now sparking with electricity.

"Oh god no…not again…" I muttered miserably as Crystal looked on the hilarious scene with confusion before Ratchet held the tool overhead as if it were some holy artifact and declared that the tool was a "ratchet". I had barely been able to get rid of the last one after more than a week of Ratchet going around and electrifying people with that infernal tool, which was now an effective Tazor. I heard laughter over my shoulder and turned to see Crystal giggling with mirth at my plight.

Trust Ratchet to find a way to turn any situation around.

"So that's how you got your nickname? Because you electrified people with a "ratchet" for so long?" Crystal asked after she had finally settled down laughing at me.

"You don't understand…," I said with an exasperated sigh. "It was a nightmare for us, he wouldn't quit. That's how we all came to know him back then, because of how he acted with that infernal tool. So yes, that lead to his nickname of "Ratchet." I explained to Crystal.

"So then what is your real name?" She asked, and there was a brief moment of silence before Ratchet responded.

"My real name is Ray," He said. "But I am Ratchet, that is who I am."

A moment passed before Crystal innocently asked.

"Why does everyone go by nicknames rather than their real name?"

The mood instantly plummeted. Crystal immediately sensed that she had said something wrong, but it was not her fault. It was a fair question. Some of us had even been asking that of ourselves for longer than we could remember.

"Its complicated Crystal. You see…its not just a nickname. There are many reasons for it. Some…like Drake and the others are called what they are because that is what their comrades refer to them as. It is less personal…less hurtful to die when no one knows your real name. You get too attached in this world…and only pain is the result. Our lives are a tragedy, so why not play as characters…hide behind false identities, than face who we really are. Others…like me…change their name as a new beginning. To try and erase the person you once were and remake yourself. To hide…from the past with a new identity." I explained.

"Oh…" Crystal responded, not knowing what to say and aware that she had spoiled the happy mood with her question. Ratchet quickly flashed a smile as if to say it was alright, but through his expression I could tell that my answer had come pretty close to the heart of things. It was a topic most of us tended to avoid.

"I have to go out for another patrol, will you be all right tonight Crystal?" He asked and she nodded before my friend made his way out of the clearing to meet up with Drake and the others. The way he walked indicated that he was much more exhausted than he let on. I turned to leave for whatever reason but Crystal quietly said my name. I walked up to her, now feeling a little sorry for her because she would have to be alone and bound by a chain for a time. That would terrify anyone.

"Why did you change your name?" she asked, looking at me with those big blue eyes of hers which I still considered to be pretty. Of course she didn't know…I never told her. Come to think of it, I have never told anyone except for Ratchet. When I turned to leave I felt a soft paw grasp my fur.

"Tell me, it's okay." She said in that sweet voice of hers that the Dark Matter had yet to corrupt. I sighed and moved to sit down at her side so that the annoying chain was not tight against her neck.

"After my mom had died giving birth to me, I was found and adopted by another family. Strangely my adopted mother had just lost her mate, so I never grew up with a father. I had a sister, and my mother had a very sweet and gentle personality…sort of like you." I said, and took a deep breath. It was hard to tell this part.

"I didn't understand what a half Shadow was then, and it was not until I was beaten to a pulp by a group of other pokemon that I learned the rest of the world hates me. One day, my family and I were attacked by Shadow Pokemon. My mother sacrificed herself to try and save us, and I ran away. I…abandoned my sister and ran. I just ran in cowardice until I got cornered in a cave by the Shadow Pokemon. I was certain I was going to die, until I accidentally stepped on a Fire stone. I incinerated them all, burning them to nothing but ashes. The Darkness in me finally manifested itself, and I became what you see here. I was no longer the weak, scared eevee I once was. I was Blazefire. I was strong. I was never going to run anymore. " I said.

"With that name, I changed myself." I finally stated. Yet there was more I didn't want to say. I changed my name because I was ashamed. I had run away and left the family that had taken me in to die. It was something that I would never escape. I changed my name, told myself that it was someone else who had abandoned his family. That I was different. But in truth I knew…that nothing had changed beyond my evolution. I had simply learned to hate and to fight back. That was all.

"But…a name doesn't change who you are. No matter what you or others call yourself you will always be the same person." She said innocently.

"You don't understand, I ran….I abandoned them. I can't…forgive myself for that. I had to change, I would turn into someone who was stronger. Blazefire, the half shadow Flareon that incinerates his enemies with his fire. That is who I am, not a weak, pathetic eevee who couldn't even stand to protect everything that was important to him." I defended. To my surprise Crystal stopped my rant by moving forward and brushing her fur against my chest, placing herself on my front paws under my chin. She stayed there for a moment, where she was vulnerable to me, showing me she was not afraid. It…meant more than she knew.

"I know that my real name might not be Crystal, but that doesn't matter. A name…only carries power because it is you. That's why it does not matter what your name is, you will always be the person you are. Sometimes we change, but even if we look different, act different, even bear different names. We will always have the same heart. That never changes." She said, pointing with her tail on my chest when she said the word heart. When in the world did Crystal get so wise. I had nothing to argue back with…she was right. Despite everything, I was still the same, I had always been. I raised a paw and held her close and the warm moment lasted only a few seconds but to me it felt much longer.

"Blazefire…what is your real name?" She asked innocently after a while.

"My real name is Blazefire, that is who I am now…but…my mother used to call me Rusty because of the color of my fur." I admitted.

"You're lucky you know…you still remember your family." She said, not moving from within my embrace. "This is all I have."

"Why would you want to remember what it was like to once have a family…when all you would remember is their death." I said.

"It's better to remember both the happy and the sad than nothing at all." She said and I realized that she was on the verge of tears. Not wanting her to cry I held her tighter. I had never imagined how much it must hurt to not be able to remember anything at all. It was so painful, remembering all the time I had spent with my family because I could not think of them without feeling sad because they were no longer around. Would I want to give that up, for just a void of blank memory?

"Stories can be rewritten." I said, though not fully understanding myself what I was saying and not knowing if it was helping matters at all. This world…seems to be nothing but a never ending tragedy. Would anything…ever…change that?

"Blazefire…can you stay at least a little bit longer please? I don't like being chained like this, it makes me scared…especially at night." She asked pressing her face harder against my fur so that her ears flopped a bit. I brought my tail around so that it covered her like a blanket. I would stay as long as I could. I couldn't stay the whole night, but I wanted to be here by her side as long as I could.

Some part of me was screaming at me for being so unrelentingly stupid. She was going to die, her days her numbered. I couldn't get attached to her; it would only lead to more heartbreak. Yet, when I felt her snuggle against my fur, I didn't seem to care anymore. I would stay by her side as long as I could, for what time we both still had left together. That much, I knew without a doubt.


End file.
